“None of the great work we are doing in our organizations should be a trade secret; we get better when we share things.” – In Light of Change executive participant
In the spirit of the quote above, sharing ideas and insights is how we bring out the best in ourselves and those around us. Here at Root, we say that “dialogue is the oxygen of change.” In fact, we believe that honest, back-and-forth dialogue is probably the most effective way to accomplish change. For example, just consider other tactics – like PowerPoint presentations or large-scale town hall meetings with a speaker talking at an audience. These approaches rarely beget true change. They are a check-the-box item that produces check-the-box results.
On the other hand, dialogue brings people together, creates space for honest inquiry, and elicits curiosity – whether it’s at the kitchen table or in the boardroom. Because we believe wholeheartedly in the power of dialogue, the Health Transformation team at Root, along with a cohort of executive leaders across the country, launched In Light of Change (ILOC) — a space for health leaders to share stories and insights about their toughest issues across the health and well-being continuum. We began this initiative two years ago, just as in-person meetings, conferences, and conversations went remote (and TikTok recipes took over).
Sharing & Collaborating Is Powerful
Guided by Root’s creative visual and dialogue-based methods, the ILOC series has showcased positive change leadership from over 300 honor roll hospital and health industry executive participants. Over the past two years, we’ve highlighted successes from healthcare leaders and developed new ways of collaborating along this national journey. As an exciting milestone, May 13, 2022 marked our first hybrid session together that we hosted with friends in the Nashville community. This distinctive roundtable included both remote and in-person attendees at the Accenture office in Nashville. Talk about a fitting forum for a conversation about this month’s topic – Digital Innovation and Access!
This meeting brought together clinical and non-clinical leaders from across the country representing organizations like Ascension Health, Children’s Minnesota, Lurie Children’s, Vanderbilt Health, NYU Langone, and HCA, as well as industry innovators like XSOLIS and Capsule. We navigated topics such as how digitization affects the evolution of care delivery and with a special nod toward the pediatric perspective.
Our Findings
Throughout this meeting, a few key discussion points stood out as trending topics of interest. Specifically, we noted the group had a lot to say about:
- Data – Healthcare captures a lot of data, but we are often slow to activate it effectively. Is it time to take some lessons from outside of industry (but slowly becoming in-industry) exemplars like Google and Amazon? The group thinks yes. In particular, traditional silos between organizational players and within organizations alike have systemically created inertia to more collaborative change. Removing silos should be a priority in order to share insights throughout organizations.
- Predictive Models – Leading organizations are using predictive models to show priorities, share real-time updates, and reveal insights that otherwise we’d have to dig to find. This intel should be shared more widely throughout the organization. Another reason why silos need to be addressed.
- Machine Learning Technology – A technology that is becoming more and more widely used is machine learning. This is something our “innovation teams” are researching on the other side of the hospital campus – it’s able to optimize the care delivery model and build efficiency to elevate caregivers to top of license. That’s not often the story we’re telling internally!
- Creating Cultures of Trust – Empathy and trust-building need to be at the core of innovation since resistance to change is often the limiting factor. Don’t hold back from engaging other leaders and your caregivers in the development and change process because it’s “another thing to do.” Let them be the innovators and experiment to determine the best way to lead the change together – it will likely save time, enable better engagement, and improve outcomes.
Building Change Through Storytelling
With these ideas out on the table (literally), 
it is our goal to help leaders take what they’ve learned from these kinds of conversations back to their teams and build momentum for real change. But what should they do once we share this knowledge? At Root, we often see that communicating ideas and strategies through traditional channels falls on deaf 
ears. The thrill of discovery in storytelling creates an emotional path that goes straight to the heart – it sinks deep and is not easily forgotten.
Does your organization leverage the power of storytelling? If not, it’s a strategy that must be considered. Imagine how shifting your strategic approach to change can also improve cultural engagement and alignment.
Be a Part of the Dialogue
Interested in joining us for a future discussion? If you would like to learn more about Root’s Health Transformation team, participate in our next ILOC roundtable as an executive speaker, or bring this kind of dialogue back to leaders at your organization, please email Kalen Stanton, Managing Partner, Health Transformation, at Kalen.Stanton@Accenture.com.
