Dropping anchor or raising sails, II
By Shelley Burns
(Part two of a two-part blog)
Anchor number two: My best practice is out there somewhere
One very popular way to avoid change is simply to decide there is nothing superior out there to help the organization improve. Managers get caught in the trap of investigating, researching, evaluating, and singling out the best practice to serve as a universal remedy. Imagine an anchored boat, scanning the horizon but not setting sail toward a new destination. Suddenly, the quest for the holy grail of best practices becomes the focus of activity instead of making organizational improvements. This type of searching rarely ever ends, nor does it lead to results. Only action brings about change.
Anchor number three: The mindless mimics
It’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that best practices are simple panaceas that easily transcend organizational boundaries. Yet, simply mimicking another hospital’s best practice in no way guarantees results. Healthcare is complicated. What works in Hospital A may be a stunning failure in Hospital B, and the reasons for this might be a combination of 12 out of the 95 potential variables. Successful best practice implementations are not “cut and paste” operations. Managers must pick and choose from the successful practices of others to create the most effective practices for their organizations.
Using best practices for sails
The quest for the best practice can easily turn into a manager’s sole purpose. Seeking out best practices is a reasonable task for a manager, if and only if the manager then takes this information and customizes it to adapt to their organization and takes action to move the organization toward the goal. It helps to follow these guidelines for successfully removing the anchors to best practices. They include:
1. Define the expectation
2. Emphasize action
3. Use it as one of many tools available.
4. Align best practices
It’s not the best practices that fail, but rather an organization’s inability to successfully execute a best practice strategy. The quest to discover best practices does not absolve managers of their actual responsibilities of thoughtful analysis, focused leadership, and excellence in execution. Do it right, and you can enjoy the summer breeze in your sails.
Shelley Burns is head of knowledge management at HMC
