What would motivate employees to make their organization more efficient? Intuitively, employees could view Lean projects as threats to their own employment and professional growth. So how does any health system inspire employees to figure out ways to eliminate waste while boosting morale?
Chrissy Daniels, M.S., director of strategic initiatives for University of Utah Health Care, suggests the solution is to move away from “how” to effect change and instead focus on “why” the change is important. Once people see how it improves patient care and makes their jobs easier, the problem will then become choosing which of the hundreds of staff-driven, cost-saving projects to do first.