Context
Founded in 1913, White Memorial Medical Center (WMMC) is a leading 353 bed not-for-profit, faith-based teaching hospital in East Los Angeles with an unwavering commitment to their mission of keeping the surrounding communities healthy. While the development of bold strategies and new and innovative operational platforms has allowed the medical center to maintain their competitive market position in the face of health care reform, the organization’s transformation has also highlighted the importance of focusing on the health of the leadership as they face increasing pressures to adapt and manage the stress of navigating an evolving industry. A three-month qualitative data analysis yielded a clear opportunity for enhancing communication within and across teams, and educating leaders about how to mitigate the powerful impact of stress on the mind and body through greater self-awareness.
Insight
Optimizing organizational performance must start at the individual level by aligning purpose and passion, creating policies and organizational infrastructure in support of personal wellness, and empowering leaders to rethink “performance” as a function of value-based outcomes, without sacrificing life balance. Additionally, shifting from a mindset of “ad hoc communication” to one that is intentional about how language is used and perceived, allows for improved clarity of communication between leaders, more effective meeting design and facilitation and, ultimately, a culture that honors transparency and the ability to articulate individual needs to maximize performance.
Outcome
Alesha co-designed and led the The Be Effective Project, with the Regional Director of Strategy and Performance, yielding a vision for individual and organizational “effectiveness.” Demonstrating how a focus on enhancing human potential and well-being translates into organizational value, the Be Effective Visioning Team generated a strategic road map detailing project goals, objectives, key success indicators, guiding principles and boundaries. The Be Effective Project framework was pitched to the Adventist Health corporate headquarters with the desire to serve as the foundation for organizational effectiveness practices system-wide. The proposal was well-received and will be integrated into the re:design of human resources and human performance practices across the enterprise moving forward.
Client
White Memorial Medical Center
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Projects
The Be Effective Project: Maximizing Personal + Professional Potential
Time Frame
2012-2013