Approximately 12 percent of all front-line managers in healthcare are seriously overleveraged, according to a recent white paper.
Healthcare Performance Solutions, a Bozeman, Mont.-based healthcare consulting firm, says this could be considered gross negligence or even an act of malpractice.
The firm's white paper, "What Does 'Being in Over Your Head' Look Like," tries to determine how often the average healthcare organization creates leadership alignment (i.e., the right people in the right roles). According to HPS research, the answer is approximately 55 percent of the time.
Tom Olivo, president and CEO of HPS, said there are several reasons why healthcare managers fail to lead their organizations successfully. Overleveraging is one issue, he said, noting that the 12 percent number should at the very least be considered a disservice to the front-line managers themselves.
According to the white paper, the most common causes that create the environment where "sub-optimized leaders" tend to get in over their heads include:
- Managers are appointed before they are ready, experienced or mature enough.
- Managers are appointed when their demonstrated leadership talent is deficient.
- Managers are appointed to a department where the degree of difficulty exceeds their ability to get good results.
- Managers are appointed out of necessity or convenience.
According to Olivo, in an environment where quality, safety, service and patient satisfaction are paramount, it's imperative that healthcare organizations have the right people in the right roles, especially at the management and leadership levels.
He said the average healthcare organization should have a realistic expectation for leadership alignment and appointment practices of 85 percent if they use a structured approach to determining their future leaders.
HPS research found that having the right leaders in place can show as much as a 75 percent increase in operational performance over time.
Healthcare Performance Solutions is an advisory services firm that helps hospitals and health systems improve organizational performance in areas like workforce optimization, employee engagement, patient outcomes, productivity and the net operating margin.