Flourishing in a Dynamic
Health Care Environment:
How to Propel Performance
HFMA 2012 Program
Exploring the Process of Healthcare
Presented By
Tom Muha, Ph.D.
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All Rights Reserved
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
The Research
◦ Developing a Positive
Work Environment to
achieve remarkable results

The Science
◦ Understanding Six Principles
from the field of Positive Psychology: PROPEL©

Q&A
◦ Using PROPEL© to resolve your challenges

Positive Psychology Studies:
◦ A scientific exploration of satisfaction and success

Hospital Performance Studies:
◦ Press Ganey
◦ HealthStream Research

Appreciative Inquiry
◦ Solucient/Reuters Top 100
◦ HealthGrades Top 5%

Case study
© PROPEL Performance, LLC
www.PROPELperformance.com

New Nurse Manager
◦ Leadership Style:
“Carrots and Sticks”
◦ Problems:





Battling with “Bullies”
Culture of Conflict
Low Staff Engagement
Poor Patient + Staff Satisfaction
High Turnover and Agency Use
© PROPEL Performance, LLC
www.PROPELperformance.com

Increase staff satisfaction, engagement and
retention to improve patient satisfaction.
Percentile
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Series 1
Series 2
Employee
Retention
Employee
Staff
Engagement Satisfaction
2006 and 2007 Organizational Climate Assessments
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
Institutional mean = 3.73

Department mean = 3.89

Extremely Satisfied Ratings for:
“I know what is expected of me at work”
“I have what I need to do my work right”
“I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day”
“My co-workers are committed to doing quality work”
“I had opportunities to learn and grow in the past year”
© PROPEL Performance, LLC
www.PROPELperformance.com
© PROPEL Performance, LLC
www.PROPELperformance.com
© PROPEL Performance, LLC
www.PROPELperformance.com
© PROPEL Performance, LLC
www.PROPELperformance.com
• VACANCY RATE
• TURNOVER RATE
• SICK LEAVE
COSTS CONTAINED/ year
20% = $240,000
6% = $425,000
75% = $151,000
= $816,000
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www.PROPELperformance.com
Executive Team Coaching
Department
Leadership
Coaching
Total Staff
Coaching
UPT Staff Coaching
Units involved in
case study given
“Best of the Best”
Award
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www.PROPELperformance.com

5 year follow up
◦ Metrics bumping along at the top v. bottom
What is
Positive Psychology?
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
Positive Emotions

Engagement

Relationship
Satisfaction

Meaningfulness

Accomplishments
◦ Martin Seligman, Flourish
© PROPEL Performance, LLC
www.PROPELperformance.com
☺
Ø
Outlier
Bottom 20%
Outlier
Average
Top 20%
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www.PROPELperformance.com
☺
Ø
Outlier
Outlier
Bottom 20%
Average
Top 20%
Tip-offs for Tipping Points, Nature, Sept 3 2009
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www.PROPELperformance.com

The top performers
in all fields excel
because they feel
passion at work
most every day
◦ Doug Newberg, UVA Medical School

2 types: Harmonious v. Obsessive
◦ Key Dynamics: Collaborative v. Controlling
 Robert Vallerand, Université du Québec à Montréal
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
Key Characteristics:
1. Positivity v. Negativity
2. Inquiry v. Advocacy
3. Others v. Self

Suffering ------ Languishing ------ Flourishing
P/N < 2:1
3-5:1
Self-Absorbed
Advocacy
Quiet
Desperation
6-11:1
Success and
Satisfaction
Marcial Losada, Work Teams and the Losada Line
© PROPEL Performance, LLC
www.PROPELperformance.com

Calm – Connect – Collaborate
◦ Builds neural pathways to offset Fight – Flight – Freeze
◦ “These people are crazy!”

Problem Solving
◦ When staff brings up
a problem, ask:
“What would it look like
if it were working well?”
© PROPEL Performance, LLC
www.PROPELperformance.com

To Achieve Flow, Use Your Strengths
◦ Using your strengths maximizes personal performance

Aligning strengths provides increased capabilities:
◦ Having full “buckets” maximizes team performance:
 Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building, Strategic Thinking
 “Nothing ever happens”

Change requires staying fully engaged

Recharging your 4 storehouses of energy:
◦ Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual
Manage your energy
– not your time –
to achieve non-linear results
Loehr and Swartz, The Power of Full Engagement
© PROPEL Performance
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
Helping others creates
a meaningful life,
which promotes the
highest form of happiness
◦ Martin Seligman, Authentic Happiness

Having a friend at work and feeling your boss
cares about you are the best predictors of job
satisfaction, engagement, and retention
◦ Gallup Q12 Staff Satisfaction Surveys
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www.PROPELperformance.com
Burning Questions?
Dr. Tom Muha
443-454-7274
tmuha@propelperformance.com