Challenges & Strategies for Improving Department Communication

Transcription

1 Challenges & Strategies for Improving Department Communication Himanshu Shah, MD Midwest Radiology Chairs Meeting Chicago, Illinois January 6-7, 2017

2 Definition Communication From Latin commūnicāre, meaning "to share" Act of conveying intended meanings from one entity/group to another The imparting or exchanging of information/news 2

3 Effective Communication 3

4 Effective Communication: Why is it so Important? Managers (leaders) spend most of their day (70- [Mintzberg 1973, Eccles & Nohria, 1991] 90%) engaged in communication Builds & maintains relationships, fosters cohesion Promotes engagement, motivation, satisfaction Allows alignment with mission, vision & goals Builds an effective team, bi-directional info sharing Builds trust, transparency, facilitates innovation Discourages gossip and misperception 4

5 Importance of Effective Communication 5

6 Strategies for Effective Communication 6

7 Strategies for Effective Communication Shut up & listen (active listening) Watch your body language Honest communication Sharing of info, issues, ideas, appreciation Consider communication preference Social events, informal conversation 7

8 Strategies for Effective Communication Do not have unnecessary meetings (or s) Have an agenda and share it prior to the mtg Allow everyone to make a contribution Make it clear who will make decisions Stay on time 8

9 Strategies for Effective Communication Be aware of your tone , social media Be personal, engaging, caring people don t care how much you know until they know how much you care Stories, questions, humor, data Speak to groups as individuals 9

10 Barriers to Effective Communication 10

11 Barriers to Effective Communication Physical Barriers Faculty/staff distributed in different buildings/sites System Design Unclear organizational structure Confusing to know whom to communicate with 11

12 Barriers to Effective Communication Ambiguity of words/phrases, offensive tone Not being clear and concise I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant Attitudinal barriers Personality conflicts, disengagement, resistance to (or difficulty coping with) change, dissatisfaction 12

13 Barriers to Effective Communication Technological multi-tasking Pocket sized smart devices - 24/7 bombardment with s, texts, social updates, etc Changing how we communicate & connect 13

14 Barriers to Effective Communication Cultural misperceptions & language differences Some words/gestures may have different meaning 14

15 Barriers to Effective Communication Information overload 15

16 My Biggest Barriers Challenges/Opportunities as a New Chair with Respect to Communication? 16

17 Challenges/Opportunities for My Barriers to Effective Communication Attitudinal Disengagement/Difficulty coping with change Leadership change (chair, administrator) Entry into IUHP Salary & benefit reduction; Unclear organizational structure Role & reporting of Clinical Director/SLL, SLA Exit from VA Hospital & downsizing of Residency Enterprise alignment Funds flow, governance Physical - Geographic dispersion Information Overload 17

18 Challenges/Opportunities for My Barriers to Effective Communication Geographic Dispersion: IUSM 9 regional campuses Clinical practice 10 hospitals 35 other practice locations Research & Educ. Divisions, Rad Tech Program, CNS also dispersed 18

19 IU Radiology & Imaging Sciences Partial org chart Department Chair Clinical Vice Chair Education Vice Chair Research Vice Chair Dir of Finance & Administration HR Manager IUHP SLA Geographic MD Chiefs Division MD Chiefs Clerkship Coordinator See Attachment Business Office Staff Communicat. Practice Administrator Radiology MDs DR Residency Director IR Residency Director Fellowship Director Education Prog. Manager Radiologic Sciences Dir. Coord. CNS Project Manager Practice Manager IT Personnel MQSA Coordinator Team Leader (APPs) DR Residency Program Coord IR Residency Program Coord Fellowship Coordinator Education Prog. Assistant Rad. Sci. Faculty Rad. Sci. Coordinator Outreach Staff Team Leads RRA s Medical Assistants Team Leader (Admins) APPs Asst. Program Coord. IT Programmers Desktop Support Reading Room Assistants Admin and Practice Ops Assistants 19

20 Faculty Communications - Core Chair Chair Admin Asst VC Clinical VC Education VC Research VC Administration Division Chiefs Communications Coordinator Geo Directors 20

21 Communication Strategies: IU Radiology New Efforts Chair bi-weekly update VC clinical operations bi-weekly update Chat with the Chair small group sessions Advertise Open Door Policy & my cellphone # Committees - Education Innov. & Mentorship Revamped/Revised Efforts POC CPC: representation, elected positions Academic Council: representation incl clinical 21

22 Chair Bi-Weekly Update 22

23 The Survey Says 23

24 Survey Results Importance of Communication - Faculty Engagement 100% 93% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 7% 0% 0% Very Important Important Neutral Not Important 24

25 Survey Results If real estate is all about location, an academic radiology department is all about communication 25

26 Survey Results Communication Tools: Chair Update 70% 64% 60% 50% 44% 40% 36% 30% 22% 22% 20% 11% 10% 0% Yes No Weekly Bi-weekly Quarterly Sporadic/PRN 26

27 Survey Results Communication Tools: Group Meetings - Entire Faculty 100% 100% 90% 80% 71% 70% 60% 50% 40% 29% 30% 20% 10% 0% 0% Yes No Monthly Quarterly 27

28 Survey Results Communication Tools: Chair Meetings with Practice Leaders 100% 100% 90% 80% 71% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 21% 20% 10% 0% 0% 7% Yes No Bi-weekly Monthly Quarterly 28

29 Survey Results Communication Tools: Chair Department Rounds 60% 57% 50% 43% 40% 38% 30% 25% 25% 20% 13% 10% 0% Yes No Bi-weekly Monthly Quarterly Sporadic/PRN 29

30 Survey Results Communication Tools: Chair Open Office Hours 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 93% 100% 20% 10% 0% 7% 0% Yes No Open Door Other 30

31 Survey Results Communication Tools: Department Newsletter 70% 62% 60% 50% 40% 38% 38% 30% 25% 20% 13% 13% 13% 10% 0% Yes No Weekly Monthly Quarterly Semi-annual Annual 31

32 Survey Results Update dept website weekly in lieu of dept newsletter Discontinued monthly dept newsletter due to lack of dedicated personnel resources 32

33 Survey Results Communication Tools: All Faculty Retreat 70% 60% 57% 63% 50% 40% 43% 38% 30% 20% 10% 0% Yes No Annual Sporadic/PRN 33

34 Survey Results Annual leadership retreat in lieu of all faculty retreat (too many faculty) Annual research faculty retreat in lieu of all faculty retreat (question whether all faculty retreat would be productive) Need to have all faculty retreat soon 34

35 Survey Results Communication Tools: Department Annual Report 70% 60% 64% 60% 50% 40% 36% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 0% Yes No Digital Hardcopy Both 35

36 Survey Results Stopped annual report 5 years ago moving to digital annual report Annual report mostly for C-suite Lack of dedicated personnel resources for annual report creation 36

37 Survey Results Communication Tools: Department Intranet 70% 64% 60% 50% 40% 36% 30% 20% 10% 0% Yes No 37

38 Survey Results Communication Tools: Faculty Annual Reviews 100% 100% 90% 80% 70% 64% 60% 50% 40% 36% 30% 20% 10% 0% 0% Yes No All Some 38

39 Survey Results Most Effective Communication Strategies Face to face - One on one, Small group Faculty/dept meetings Chair dept rounds , targeted for sharing good news/in-person for bad If detailed info to be shared provide in advance Digital board in reading room hallway 39

40 Survey Results Least Effective Communication Strategies , blasts Dept newsletter Chair column in weekly dept newsletter Frequency might diminish the impact All faculty meetings Facebook Mandarin Chinese 40

41 Communication Strategies 41

42 Survey Results Other Comments Tried monthly breakfast session poor turnout Semi-annual Dept "State of the Union Mtg All physician & allied health staff, 900+ attend Broadcast live video feed, clinical schedules held 10 min chair update, 5 other groups present 10 min stories - unique activities impacting pt care Chair's ability to "touch" the faculty depends on dept size and activity of vice chairs/section chiefs Difficult to motivate/direct faculty w/o clarity from Dean s office 42

43 Other Thoughts? faculty 43