The votes are in!

Lots of you seem interested in the inside story on managing change in the hospital, and I am happy to share what we are doing on the chance it might be informative to those in other organizations. For those who are interested, here is a follow-up to my Thanksgiving staff email on our process improvement program for BIDMC. We conducted an election to name the program, with unlimited nominations "from the floor" and a preliminary ballot to narrow the field to seven finalists. Asking the staff to name the program is just the most visible part of encouraging their participation in its design and implementation. Here's today's email announcing the winner:

Subject: The votes are in! BIDMC SPIRIT takes first place!

Hi,

In an election that has set a national standard for voter turnout and lack of negative campaigning, and a full week before Super Tuesday, we have a winner in our naming contest for the new BIDMC process improvement program.

Almost 2000 votes were cast, and the run-away winner was:

BIDMC SPIRIT (Solutions Promoting Improvement Respect Integrity & Teamwork)

Please stay tuned over the coming weeks for more about this initiative -- further explanation, training, and experimenting. Remember, the goal of BIDMC SPIRIT is that we want every BIDMC staff member to be able to answer these questions with a resounding "Yes!" every day:

Am I treated with dignity and respect by everyone I encounter, regardless of role or rank in the organization?

Am I given the knowledge, tools and support that I need in order to make a contribution to my organization and that adds meaning to my life?

Did somebody notice I did it, i.e., am I recognized for my contribution?

I'll tell you right now that we are inventing something new here. Sometimes it will feel chaotic, inefficient, or downright dumb as we do this: You will probably question my judgment many times over for even trying it. But, let's give it a chance and see what we can do together with the right BIDMC SPIRIT!

(By the way, will the person who suggested this name please contact me?)

Sincerely,

Paul

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Wow, within minutes, I have already received the following comments back from the email:

Good morning, Excellent choice, that was my choice. Have a great day. Thank you.
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Whoever named this did a great job....
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Congratulations on running a great campaign
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BRAVO!! Congratulations.....
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wow.........I finally picked a winner....now if I could only make up my mind about the democratic primary..........
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Junior Seau said this week over and over again the same thing you did -- "let's just give it a chance, everyone just needs a chance" -- and look where he is now!!!!! I voted for this one too!
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I am very excited the BIDMC SPIRIT was selected! I had suggested it during the original polling process… but I am glad that so many people resonated with it!
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I would love to have an active role in this campaign of BIDMC SPIRIT.
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An abbreviation better than WMD.
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Love the name.

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And this really nice one later on:

Although I cannot take credit for the name or idea of this program, I think it is an important concept. I am happy to know that this is going to be implemented and feel as though everyone will benefit from it in the end (especially the patients). From my perspective, there is nothing more rewarding than taking care of individuals during a time of need. We will all experience this vulnerability at some point in our lives. The key (again in my opinion) is to deliver quality care in a supportive, nurturing environment. It is evident that happier employees ultimately equals a more positive work environment which in turn equals quality care.

Thank you for supporting this program and also for taking the time to recognize the individual who is responsible for creating the name. You send a powerful message and it sounds like you are getting a positive response.