Leading with kindness: A systems approach to subjective well-being and healthspan
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to present a systems approach to support leaders in creating a satisfying and meaningful career experience for colleagues which promotes optimal subjective well-being and healthspan. The intention is to help people do better. Kindness is helping people do better. There is an occupational health challenge in healthcare, with high rates of professional burnout, moral distress, turnover and work–life disintegration. An evidence synthesis of a narrative literature review identified subjective well-being and healthspan determinants primarily in the sphere of control of organisations. They are categorised into four domains: agency (control over work–life), collective effervescence (meaning, energy and harmony in groups of people with shared purpose), camaraderie (social connectedness) and positivity (optimism and caring). Ten systems that can improve staff subjective well-being and healthspan are presented.
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Author's Biography
Stephen J. Swensen Stephen Swensen, MD, is a Senior Fellow of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and a Transformational Fellow at the NARBHA Institute, where his focus is on advancing the understanding and cultivation of subjective well-being and healthspan in organisations and communities. His most recent book features an evidence-based blueprint for cocreating ideal work (Mayo Clinic Strategies to Reduce Burnout — 12 Actions to Create the Ideal Workplace). For 35 years, he served patients at Mayo Clinic as an interdisciplinary collaborative leader, clinician and scientist. As director for Leadership and Organisation Development, he co-led the Professional Fulfilment Initiative and oversaw the development of 4,100 physicians and 232 key leaders. While he was chief quality officer, his team established the Quality Academy, with 37,000 colleagues certified as Fellows. As department chair, he, along with his team, used their Value Creation System to improve the welfare of both patients and professionals. A full professor, he was principal investigator of two National Institutes of Health grants and has authored three books and more than 200 articles. He was honoured with the Diamond Lifetime Achievement Award and served as the president of two international medical societies. He holds a master’s degree in medical management from Carnegie Mellon University.
Citation
Swensen, Stephen J. (2024, December 1). Leading with kindness: A systems approach to subjective well-being and healthspan. In the Management in Healthcare: A Peer-Reviewed Journal, Volume 9, Issue 2. https://doi.org/10.69554/KGRN2037.
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