Creating a Clear Path Forward during Major Change

We began by listening. Over two days, we spoke with more than 100 health system leaders to learn how they perceived their organization’s strategy.

We did two things in parallel: We conducted executive workshops to align the leadership team on when and how major change was occurring throughout the organization, and we distilled the existing strategy into a cohesive, compelling story to engage employees. Then, we translated the health system’s obscure goals into metrics that the team could easily understand and own.

To anchor the vision and help with awareness and understanding, we created a visual and used it on all materials–badges, posters, a new intranet. Over nine months, we designed a calendar of strategic content and compelling materials to explain how specific changes aligned with the health system’s purpose.

After two years with a clearly articulated strategy, the system continues to share major announcements through the messaging platform we built. To this day, more than a thousand employees visit the intranet site each month.

This thoughtful, consistent approach has created stronger engagement. About 81 percent of employees responded to the 2017 engagement survey, which reflects 750 more responses than the previous year. The average employee satisfaction score is around 82 percent, up from 2016. This, we believe, is a testament to a clear strategy and solid communications plan that informs employees and reinforces the health system’s vision.