HTPN (Health Texas Provider Network) is one of Baylor Scott and White Health’s clinic organizations, supporting 200 community clinics. The clinics are disbursed across a vast region in north Texas, and the manager of each clinic is responsible for all daily operations in the clinic. This has been a high turnover position, and one that is critical to the success of each clinic.
HTPN wanted to create an environment in which clinic managers would feel they are not alone, and they can learn from each other. Clinic managers enrolled in the Leadership Journey courses that were required of all front-line leaders, but they also were placed into a “Leadership U” group of six to eight other clinic managers.
Program Details
Each Leadership U group met once a week for an hour, over nine weeks, and was facilitated by a director in the HTPN organization who had been specially selected and trained to facilitate the groups through the Leadership U curriculum.
A needs assessment was done to determine which leadership competencies the clinic managers needed to develop the most. A curriculum was developed to guide the Leadership U groups through resources that would strengthen their leadership competencies. Each clinic manager received a copy of the book, “Monday Morning Leadership.”
Thirteen facilitators were selected based on three criteria:
- Years in leadership role
- High performance ratings
- Low turnover in their clinics
Some 120 clinic managers participated in the nine-week program. The topics addressed in the Leadership U groups included:
- Establishing and sustaining effective relationships
- Aligning performance for success
- Facilitating change
- Building organizational talent/coaching
- Communicating with clarity and impact
- Planning and organizing
- Making effective decisions
Before each week’s session, the participating clinic managers read a chapter from the book, watched a video pertaining to the week’s topic, and interviewed their leader for guidance and advice on each week’s topic. During the session, participants discussed the chapter they had read, the video they watched, and the expected outcomes their leader gave them. They asked each other for advice and shared best practices. After each session, the participants practiced and applied the skills they learned.
Results
When the program ended, evaluations were distributed and analyzed. Here are some of the results:
Level 1 results:
- 97% said they learned new leadership techniques.
- 99% said the program was worth their time.
- 95% said they applied it to the job.
- 89% said their actions have increased engagement in the clinic.
Level 3 results:
- 95% of the participants’ leaders said it was worth their time away from their clinic.
- 95% of the participants’ leaders said they saw a change in the leader’s behavior.
In addition, retention in the clinics increased by 4%, which helped the organization exceed its system goal by .6%.
When the nine-week program ended, the groups decided to continue meeting on their own once a month to network, share best practices, and solve problems.
