Tag: nursing blame game

What’s in a brand name?

By Thomas Davis, CRNA, MAE, Lt. Col. (ret)

Follow @procrnatom on twitter

Branding

“Rebranding generates enthusiasm and brings attention to an existing operation

that may be taken for granted.”

The morning news grabbed my full attention with this announcement:  Dunkin donuts is doing away with donuts.  “What?” I screamed silently.  “No more Bavarian cream filling or toasted coconut crunch?  How could they do such a thing?”  The reporter went on to explain that the company (relax, everybody) will not stop making donuts but will be dropping the word “donuts” from the company name, logo and advertising.  The intent is to rebrand and give the company a fresh look while opening the door to promote a line of drinks that will compete with the Starbucks grip on the grounds. The purpose of the press release was to make me visualize Dunkin Donut coffee.  Rebranding works.

Dunkin’s announcement comes only a few months after the media blitz surrounding the rebranding of IHOP to IHOB – International House of Burgers.  The pancake giants “want the world to know that they also have a great menu for lunch and dinner.”  Even though it was a hoax, the announcement certainly got the public’s attention as people all over the country flocked to IHOP for an IHOPB.   Weight Watchers is in the less startling process of rebranding as they plan to rename themselves WW with an emphasis on wellness rather than strictly on weight loss.  Branding works and when a company wants to renew enthusiasm for their product, they regain attention by rebranding.

A recognized brand serves many purposes and collateral benefits within a crowded marketplace.

  • Recognition Established brands stand out and are known for the product they deliver.  When you pull off the highway and see McDonalds, Starbucks and Shell gas, you immediately know who they are and what they provide.  Branding promotes consistency thus removing doubt and uncertainty.
  • Credibility Attached to an established brand name is the appearance of expertise.  When I was at The Johns Hopkins, we treated a global patient population most of whom were attracted to the JH brand and the expectation of proven excellence tied to the name.  Branding expert, Lisa Cron, notes that good branding increases revenue because clients are willing to pay at a higher price and are more compliant with making payments.
  • Loyalty Branding promotes loyalty both from the customer base and from employees.  Established quality brands attract the top applicants who perform at a higher level.  Good people providing a quality product for a recognized company creates a loyal customer base.
  • Culture Brand identity promotes a company culture of excellence and collaboration.  Workers who feel pride in and loyalty to a known brand will develop a loyalty to the company and embrace the company culture initiated from the front office.  Branding lets both clients and employees know what the company stands for and forms a basis for acceptable behavior.

 

Brand your Workgroup

In healthcare, we are not BK or Mickey D’s; however, a recognizable brand identity for your healthcare team offers some of the same advantages as those in the business world, namely consistency, collaboration and a loyal customer base.   One simple suggestion to develop a team brand that yields big results is for your team adopt to a motto or tagline that represents your team’s shared values.  For example, the Cleveland Clinic has kept their name but updated the corporate motto to reflect their collective values; “We are all caregivers.” To create or update your healthcare team motto or tagline, bring the group together and review the organization’s mission, vision and values.  Discuss the purpose of your team, for example, I work in a busy GI clinic where we pride ourselves in the service we provide for patients, gastroenterologists and referring physicians.  Challenge your group to establish a motto that will both inform clients and remind one another of why the team exists.

Sample mottos and taglines

  • A personal relationship with medical excellence
  • Exceptional people, extraordinary care
  • Changing the way you receive healthcare
  • A passion for putting patients first
  • A Transforming, Healing Presence

 

Once your team has established its identity, treat it as your brand and use it to tell the public about the excellent service they will receive from your team.

Market your new brand

  • Posters Create and hang posters with your team motto in common areas where they can be viewed by both patients and staff.
  • Business cards Make business cards with your team motto on one side and a place on the other side for the care giver to write his/her name, freely giving cards to patients and their family members.
  • Buttons Make campaign style buttons with your team motto and encourage your team members to wear them prominently at team meetings, department parties, state meetings and healthcare fund raisers.
  • Messages/Memos Make a template on your signature block that includes your team motto ensuring that every message you send is a reminder of the purpose of your work.
  • Signs at work stations  Attach your motto to the base of every computer on your unit as an ongoing reminder to staff members.

 

Literature arising from today’s business community reinforces the importance of having a recognized brand to attract customers and standardize the product delivered by workers.   Whether branding for the first time or rebranding to renew interest, you can create advantages for your workgroup by developing a team motto and tagline, advertising it and then using it to promote team identity, collaboration and consistency.   Creating or recreating consumer familiarity takes time but soon enough your patients will become just as confident about the expectations of care that they will receive from your team as you are about the Pike’s Place with a shot you pick up on the way to the Hospital.  Brand your team for success, and in the meantime, I think I’ll pick up a Dunkin dozen…just in case.

 

Tom is a noted author, speaker, educator and clinician.   Join Tom the second Tuesday of each month on the Leadership journal club webinar.

The OR Blame Game

fault post

By Thomas Davis, CRNA, MAE, Lt. Col (ret)

Follow @procrnatom on Twitter

The modern-day operating room is a miracle machine where diseases are cured and lives are changed.   The nature of the work carries inherent risk and any deviation in protocol can have devastating consequences.  In addition, the operating room is a business that requires efficiency in order to maintain the positive cash flow that supports the essential work that takes place there.  When medical mistakes are made or schedules are not met, rather than asking, “What went wrong?” all too often healthcare providers ask, “Whose fault is it?” and launch into the blame game.

I recently worked in an operating room where the standard for turnover between cases was 20 minutes.   At the end of each case, when the patient was wheeled out, the clock started ticking and a flurry of activity was put into motion aimed at hitting the magic 20-minute standard.  Many requisite tasks had to be completed during the brief turnover time to prepare the room for patient #2:

  • Patient #1 settled in recovery, report given, paperwork completed
  • Room disinfected, new instruments obtained and set up
  • Preoperative evaluation and lab work for patient #2 completed and on the chart
  • Surgical consents signed and site marked by the surgeon
  • Transfer of care for patient #2 from pre-op to the operating room team
  • Transport of patient #2 to the operating room

During the 20-minute turnover time, glitches could easily occur at any point in the process and despite the sincere desire to meet the standard, more often than not the turnover time exceeded the expectation.  If a patient entered the operating room behind schedule the most important question was always, “Whose fault is it?”  I quickly learned that assigning blame was a greater priority than establishing a system where the standard could be met.

Blaming is a defense mechanism that enables an individual to avoid responsibility for a negative event.  By blaming others, we can divert attention from ourselves and reduce the chance of being exposed as part of the problem.   When we point out the flaws of others, our egos are inflated and our own deficits can be hidden. For bullies blame can be a powerful weapon in establishing superiority.  Whether you are diverting responsibility or establishing the upper hand, blaming has a destructive effect on collaborative teamwork and is toxic in the workplace and here is why:

  • Blame places the entire group in a defensive mode. Avoiding incrimination becomes the overwhelming motivation and the group loses sight of the positive goals that they had once worked to achieve.
  • When blame is anticipated there is a reluctance to take a risk and creativity is killed. Instead of seeking new ways to solve a problem, ironically, the group clings to the safety of the way it has always been done.
  • Blame blocks learning from mistakes. When culpability is certain, people are reluctant to admit mistakes or point out flaws in the system thus creating an attitude of professional stagnation.

There is a more productive way to conduct our business and interact with each other in the operating room. Switch from blame to shared responsibility.  A medical mistake creates an opportunity to work together to find a solution that, in turn, opens the door to innovative teamwork.  Adopting a no-blame attitude will benefit your team in the following ways.

  • Team members can remove the lens from the problem and focus on the greater goal, taking steps to move toward the desired outcome.
  • Removing the fear of being made the scapegoat when the system fails encourages disclosure. When there is no need to divert attention and assign blame, people openly admit mistakes, share thoughts and offer suggestions that will lead to resolutions.
  • The common goals and interactive problem-solving that result from no-blame environments encourages collaboration and teamwork.
  • Removing blame builds the element of trust along with the security of knowing that when problems occur, your team will come together to find a solution instead of throwing an individual under the bus.

A no-blame workplace does not remove accountability.   Individuals are still held accountable for repeated or blatant violations of protocol.  However, in most cases, accountability goes to the team to find proactive, outcome-oriented solutions.

In the high risk/high reward environment of the operating room, collaboration and effective teamwork provide the key to success.  Blaming an individual for a flaw in the system is divisive and ultimately undermines the success of the organization, whereas, goal-oriented problem solving brings the team together and improves overall outcome.  There are no winners in blaming or gaming.