Leadership

As the saying goes, change is the only constant and this is especially true in the healthcare industry. I recently participated in HRO Today magazine’s “Trends Impacting Healthcare Executives in 2016” webinar, presented by B.E. Smith and AMN Healthcare. The webinar covered the findings from B.E.

There’s been a big push lately for human resources departments to be more “strategic,” but what does that really mean? And how does it work in healthcare?

Are great leaders born with the innate abilities to lead a successful team, or do they employ a set of methods that anyone can learn and practice? The current thinking is the latter: leadership is a set of methods that can be studied and applied by anyone who’s open for change and development.

With this year’s theme for the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration’s (ASHHRA) Conference focusing on strategic leadership, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss how healthcare HR leaders can impact their organization’s culture. If you attended this year’s conference, you’ll agree that organizational culture was a dominating topic throughout the conference, from the learning sessions to the conversations among peers.

Last week, I traveled to the Emerald City of Seattle, Washington for the National Association Medical Staff Services’ (NAMSS) 39th Educational Conference and Exhibition. Similar to the recent American Society for Healthcare Human Resources (ASHHRA) conference, the theme for this year’s NAMSS conference, “Embracing Change: A Journey of Leadership,” also focused on leadership.

Almost every aspect of the way U.S. healthcare organizations operate is undergoing change, says Susan Peiffer, Chair-Elect of the American Society for Quality’s healthcare division. As these changes take place, healthcare human resources professionals have a major leadership role to play in helping employees at all levels adapt.

Change on All Sides

Peiffer says the main changes healthcare organizations are facing include: