“There is too much to do, many employees are feeling burned out –we need to be serious this year about limiting the number of projects we put on the strategic portfolio.”
“How is it possible that Initiative X didn’t make it to the priorities list!? There is no way I can do my work without it.”
It’s that time of year again!
As healthcare executives wade through the strategic planning process, many run into the conflict between everything that needs to be done and the limited resources available to do the work. Finding the perfect balance between these demands is impossible.
It’s a time when almost everything can seem both urgent and also essential, but not all of it can be completed. Even if the goal of prioritization is to lessen the workload, frustrations still flare when what feels like mission-critical initiatives do not make the cut.
Many employees, especially those on the administrative side of healthcare, face a frustrating scarcity of time, resources, tools, data, and support. Limitations can lead some to feel like they are continually working against the current and can never catch up. Their work is difficult, often unsung and unrecognized, and yet is the backbone of keeping our healthcare system working.
Hearing that an initiative has been unfunded can leave critical employees feeling undervalued and stuck. The dynamic can feel like a no-win situation for leaders at every level of the organization.
There is no quick answer to this dilemma, which made me feel hesitant about writing about it. But this experience is so prevalent that I have been pondering a path to get off the scarcity train.
Plotting a new path
Many prioritization exercises are focused on keeping pace with evolving industry norms. Some healthcare organizations are waiting to embrace innovation until they have caught up or fixed historical gaps. These gaps are urgent and do need to be addressed, but this doesn’t mean that plotting a new path has to wait. After all, competitors are certainly not waiting for this catch-up to take place before they move forward. And honestly, there will never be a magical moment when an organization is all caught up.
The terrific news is that addressing urgent gaps can occur in parallel with future visioning without breaking the bank. Early work related to strategic and business model innovation should largely be focused on alignment, vision, and planning.
If it is not already on the portfolio, you can include a project to re-envision the organization’s future in the context of the dramatic shifts on the horizon. As a first step you can plan to kick off the New Year with a future-scanning retreat to align on trends, technology, and new possibilities. (I know you're too busy to think about this - pick a date in February or March and reserve the day on your team's calendar now!)
While it could feel non-intuitive to include a future-oriented project within an already-loaded strategic portfolio, such an initiative can also raise morale. Leaders throughout the organization know that change is on the horizon - it can make them feel less anxious or discouraged if they know that a broader path forward is being charted. Structured time to step back and look forward opens new doors for growth, partnership, and sustainability - this is drafting a path, over time, off of the scarcity fly-wheel.
What a time it is to be in healthcare! So many of us came into this industry to make healthcare better, and changes in the landscape could finally open this door. Prioritization season can be time-consuming and difficult - but hopefully also offer hope for the years ahead.
Has your organization struggled with these prioritization challenges? How is your future vision being expressed in your multi-year roadmap? I'm always up for the conversation!
Peace,
NW