Development and deployment of a new operating model: A framework to engage leaders and align them with execution
Abstract
Healthcare systems are complex organisations. Therefore, well-defined systems and processes are necessary to achieve and sustain desired quality, safety, patient experience and financial outcomes. Success depends on aligning members of the workforce, producing robust action plans and creating a culture of accountability. These aims can be accomplished by use of an operating model that organises daily work and coordinates the completion of priorities via an annual operating plan. In that model, an operational excellence team — built on existing resources — identifies and manages important projects and initiatives. Their focus is to develop standardised, templated project plans, support project teams through execution and organise regular performance reviews with senior executives to monitor important performance indicators and act upon barriers or project vulnerabilities. Such a simple, low-cost, structured approach is used to engage leaders, initiate change and create a high-performing organisational culture. This model was developed and deployed across an operating division of Jefferson Health, an 18-hospital health system with US$10bn in annual revenue, to accelerate transformation. This paper, in a case study format, details the framework, tactics, results and learning through implementation.
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Author's Biography
Brian Sweeney , RN, MBA, FACHE, is president and chief operating officer of Jefferson Health — New Jersey. With nearly 25 years of experience at Jefferson Health, Mr Sweeney had served as chief operating officer for Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals in Philadelphia prior to joining the New Jersey leadership team in Spring 2020. Mr Sweeney is a transformational healthcare executive who has successfully led and managed diverse clinical programmes, operational departments and support services. He has focused on strategic planning, business development, process improvement and service-line leadership to achieve desired outcomes in quality and safety, financial performance and growth. Since joining the New Jersey leadership team, Sweeney successfully managed through many operational challenges surrounding the COVID-19 crisis, as South Jersey emerged as an early regional hotspot for the virus, building strong partnerships with his leadership team, physicians and staff as well as Jefferson New Jersey board members. Sweeney was named to South Jersey Biz Magazine’s 2021 ‘Who’s Who in Healthcare’ List and its 2020 ‘Power 50’ list of business leaders. He was also named to ROI-NJ Magazine’s 2021 ‘Influencers Power List’. In January 2021, Sweeney began a three-year term on the board of directors for the Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey (CCSNJ). A results-oriented executive who has led numerous complex change initiatives at Jefferson Health, Sweeney received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Gwynedd-Mercy College in 1996; his nursing career included emergency/trauma care and critical care transport. Mr Sweeney earned his MBA from Temple University in 2000. A Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, he is a national speaker on leadership, strategy, healthcare operations and performance improvement.
Citation
Sweeney, Brian (2023, March 1). Development and deployment of a new operating model: A framework to engage leaders and align them with execution. In the Management in Healthcare: A Peer-Reviewed Journal, Volume 7, Issue 3. https://doi.org/10.69554/ELSW7557.
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