The impact of high performing departments

Although all departments and functions within healthcare organizations can be considered difficult, some departments and functions are clearly more difficult that others. Simply put, not all departments are created equal. This is why it is imperative to align the talent of a leader with the Degree of Difficulty of the department.

According to the white paper, ÑDefining Department Complexity åDegree of DifficultyÇ: Creating Superior Performance with Leadership Alignmentâ written by Tom Olivo, President/CEO of Healthcare Performance Solutions, research has concluded that talent alignment is the ultimate lever in driving results and desired outcomes in healthcare organizations.

ÑWhen organizations have a structured approach in place to align the complexity of departments or functions with the talent level of the leaders, the odds of success and creating high performance are increased significantly.â according to Olivo.

ÑThere are five categories of complexityâ, Olivo continues:

1. Does the department experience high volume or a very fast pace?
2. Does the department generate significant revenue for the organization?
3. Does the work require an advanced education or a unique skill set?
4. Does the department require people who are considered to be scarce in your marketplace?
5. Does the work in the department create a high amount of emotional stress?

Different positions have different Degrees of Difficulty according to assessments evaluated by hundreds of healthcare executives. Examples of Degrees of Difficulty include:

- High Degree of Difficulty à Emergency Departments
- Medium Degree of Difficulty à Physical Therapy Departments
- Low Degree of Difficulty à Housekeeping Departments

When leadership talent is appointed to the appropriate level of complexity or Degree of Difficulty, the odds of success in creating high performance are 2 to 1 in your favor. When out of alignment, the odds of success are stacked 3 to 1 against you.