Janet DiClaudio, who was charge of medical records at two large American hospitals, had an unusual problem.
But, the past master in finding creative solutions to work related problems that she was, she found an equally unusual solution.
Of course, proper record keeping is critically important in any hospital. Moreover, if it is run on a commercial basis, medical records will determine how and what the institution gets paid. On the other hand, filling out medical records is not the most exciting pastime in the world. It can be a big pain, in fact. Doctors would prefer to do other things with their time.
But records have to be completed, properly and promptly. So what do you do about it? Janet DiClaudio got down to work and developed a highly "sophisticated system" :)
Janet called her system "Tootsie Roll Pops". Every time a doctor completed a medical record on time, he or she was awarded a Tootsie Roll Pop - apparently a cheap candy you buy by the bagful - and his or her name went into a drawing for a magnum of champagne.
Now, you don't have to feel sorry for most of these worthy doctors, thanks very much. Some of them can afford to buy a Tootsie Roll Pop factory. Many have case loads of the best champagne in the world back home in their cellars.
Yet Janet's system worked like a charm. The "Tootsie Roll Pop" campaign led to a doubling in record-completion productivity at the General Hospital in Buffalo, New York, where Janet was working.
She then took a new position at a hospital in Savannah, Georgia, and found that her new institution had a backlog of about 300 medical records. No problem! In Savannah, she rewarded each doctor who completed a record from the backlog with a handful of animal crackers.
Two weeks later, the hospital had gone through twenty pounds of animal crackers, but the record backlog had been all but eliminated. As a result, the hospital was able to collect more than four million dollars. For that return, I hardly think the accounts department would have complained about the expenditure on the crackers!
Roger Firestien recounts this delightful medical saga in his Leading on the Creative Edge which I quoted in a previous article. What has it do with us?
Well, I bring it here not only because it is such a beautiful illustration of creativity in problem solving, but also - and this is what really concerns us - it forcefully demonstrates the power of praise and recognition.
After all, the doughty physicians in our story weren't children; it couldn't have been the handout of a few measly goodies that motivated them. There's a more basic need, however, that apparently doesn't fail to move even the most sophisticated amongst us.
In a landmark work In Search of Excellence researchers Tom Peters and Robert Waterman ask readers to imagine that they are sales assistants in a store who are being punished for failing to treat a customer well.
If you are in this situation, you might feel yourself to be in a frustrating dilemma, because you still don't know what to do to receive approval. In fact, you might well react by avoiding customers altogether, since you have come to associate customers with punishment.
Now, supposes a manager would tell you that a "mystery shopper" has complimented you on your outstanding courtesy and helpfulness. What would you do now?
Most likely, you'd rush back to the floor to find more customers to treat well, for now you have associated them with praise and recognition. Your self-esteem has been enhanced immeasurably, and you want to keep living up to expectations of you..
I would have thought that you don't need to be a university professor to work this one out, but Peters and Waterman report:
"Our general observation is that most managers know very little about the value of positive reinforcement. Many either appear not to value it at all, or consider it beneath them, undignified, or not very macho. The evidence from the excellent companies strongly suggests that managers who feel this way are doing themselves a great disservice..."
But positive reinforcement should be dispensed not only when someone whom we lead does something we wanted him to do. Encouragement is also the appropriate response when someone suggests a novel idea or solution to a problem. And this brings me back to a subject we have discussed before.
About 30 years ago, a creativity consulting firm on the American East Coast was conducting creativity seminars for large corporations.
The leaders urged participants to throw inhibitions to the winds, unleash the power locked up in their minds, and to throw up all the ideas they could manage, however wild they might appear to be. Their peers were then asked to evaluate the proposals and see if they could be used to solve company problems.
Inevitably, seminar participants could only see negative aspects in most of the suggestions, and swiftly tore them to pieces. As the sessions ended, the more discerning amongst them sometimes confided in the organizers: "You know, we had the beginnings of some pretty powerful ideas in this session. But by the time we got done evaluating them, all we had left were the same worn-out, old concepts."
Then it happened that at one seminar, several people from the same company noticed the idea slaughtering. They approached the two leaders conducting the session and suggested they talk to the president of their company.
"This man," they explained, "has a unique way of dealing with ideas. And it seems to pay off. Our company is growing by leaps and bounds, has excellent relationships with customers and suppliers, and is a great place to work."
Of course, the two consultants were intrigued. They asked for a meeting with the company president. "I obviously must be doing something right," he told them, "but I'm darned if I know what it is...I'd love to find out."
In short, the consultants shadowed the president for a week. They sat in on meetings and strategic conversations and walked through the plant with the president.
The visitors soon realized that when someone approached the president with a new idea, the latter became very conscious of what was about to occur. Someone in the company was about to present an idea they thought might improve the organization, smooth out the work flow, or make more money.
The president became all ears. In contrast to his counterparts in many other companies who perceived new ideas as threats, he saw them as opportunities. He knew that this was the stuff that made his business better.
When someone proposed an idea, the president would respond by enumerating the PLUSES (strengths or advantages) of the idea. He would then discusses its POTENTIALS (possible spin-offs or future gains which could be realized if the idea were implemented). Finally, he would address CONCERNS posed by the idea.
Even when addressing concerns, however, instead of saying: "This idea will cost too much", he would throw out a challenge by asking: "How might you reduce the cost?" or "How might you raise the money to develop this idea?". Instead of offering a prophecy of doom by saying: "Management will never accept this idea" he would inquire: "How might you get management's support?"
The seed which was planted in the minds of this corporate president's "shadows" that week led to the development and fine-tuning of a tool that was to have far reaching effects in the business and organizational world. The PPC (Pluses, Potentials, Concerns) Technique was developed by Dr. Firestien and two colleagues, Dianne Foucar-Szocki and Bill Shepard.
If you were to propose an idea to this company president, and he evaluated it together with you in the manner outlined above, how would you react?
Wouldn't you be inspired by the friendly challenge thrown out at you to find a way of overcoming even the smallest concerns?
It makes you think, doesn't it?
Azriel Winnett is creator of Hodu.com - Your Communication Skills Portal. This popular free website helps you improve your communication and relationship skills in your business or professional life, in the family unit and on the social scene. New articles added almost daily.
American CEOs are dropping like flies. Boards, armed with new... Read More
I heard this back a few years ago. The boss... Read More
You've seen it happen many times. An organization that provides... Read More
1. Create a filing system with broad categories such as... Read More
In my book Talking Points: 25 Tips for Clear, Credible... Read More
Leaders speak 15 to 20 times daily. You speak at... Read More
As Albert Einstein said:-"The significant problems we face today, cannot... Read More
These factors where determined by interviews with and books from... Read More
Life can sometimes be unexciting if not refreshed by the... Read More
Getting into the detail of everything each of your people... Read More
Performance Management is the act of managing personal or organizational... Read More
Here's a productivity tip that will save you a lot... Read More
It is essential to understand what work and what do... Read More
Telecommuting or virtual work opens up a wider net of... Read More
IntroductionThe role of the Human Resource Manager is evolving with... Read More
We all have psychic abilities that we use daily, although... Read More
In our experience, we have found that there are several... Read More
Your use of voice mail tells others a lot about... Read More
Question: What's the easiest, cheapest and quickest way to have... Read More
As crazy as it seems, some people spend more time... Read More
There are 12 essential elements of a successful internal communications... Read More
We go to meetings to share information, to report on... Read More
Email, when used properly, can generate additional direct sales and... Read More
If you search on Google for "virtual assistant", you'll find... Read More
When you first take over a department, expectations are usually... Read More
Your people are invaluable to you. They are the lifeblood... Read More
A core activity in many successful businesses, Succession Planning is... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
Are you one of those bosses that people just love... Read More
There's one simple secret to effective meetings: set an agenda... Read More
In the call center environment we are often only as... Read More
Who tells the boss that they can improve their management... Read More
Sometimes, I harbour a suspicion that Dante was a Financial... Read More
I hear many complaints daily about the "unfairness" of politics... Read More
A good consultant provides specialist abilities and experience, innovative ideas,... Read More
Do you manage by walking around? What do you see?... Read More
If you are a business owner or a business owner... Read More
Unhappy as Jenny undoubtedly was, she held on very tightly... Read More
Here is a true story. My dentist did a "clinical"... Read More
Not long ago, weeding through DBA applicants with a tech... Read More
The company decided to develop and implement an improvement program.... Read More
The ability to solve complicated problems quickly is more important... Read More
Speak of operations assessment, and we'll hear its significant value.... Read More
This is a challenge for every company owner and manager.... Read More
We obtain strategic results by aligning HR mission, vision and... Read More
The perpetrators of the recent spate of financial frauds in... Read More
SELECTING THE RIGHT PERSON: To whom should tasks be delegated?... Read More
Cost cutting has become a necessary and important reality in... Read More
With client expectations higher than ever before, and the gradual... Read More
Todays business environment has changed drastically from just a few... Read More
Many business owners are sabotaging their business without even realizing... Read More
IntroductionAre you looking for a way to gain control of... Read More
If there is someone nearby as you read this look... Read More
In fact, bringing your people - any of them -... Read More
You've hung out your shingle and are ready for business.... Read More
Another fallacy ingrained in the minds of most marketing managers... Read More
Because of my work as a consultant, trainer and coach... Read More
Okay, be honest!Are you guilty of sticking in a few... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
The purpose of any selection process is to discriminate (albeit... Read More
"His cardinal mistake is that he isolates himself, and allows... Read More
Q: One of my former employees has launched an online... Read More
I see a PR firm has done a survey on... Read More
JUGGLING DEMANDS: All leaders constantly juggle a multifarious array of... Read More
I recently surveyed CEOs and Business Leaders of large companies... Read More
Stop hiring new administrative support staff. And learn how to... Read More
Business Management |