Jim Collins' book, Built to Last, has informed the thinking of leaders in healthcare for years. I like how my colleague, Blaine Bartlett, in his blog today, notes that "it implies solidity, endurance, longevity, and stability. So, how could this possibly be bad?" [Built NOT to Last?]
- Nothing in nature lasts forever. Building something with the intention that it will last is fundamentally unnatural and leads to unsustainable choices.
- Attempting to build to last is a great expression of hubris. It assumes the builder(s) have special knowledge or insight about the future. Such an assumption can blind decision makers to the local, short term (and often cumulative) consequences of their decisions.
- By definition, building to last is ultimately toxic to all involved - it eventually assumes a superior and entitled access to resources.
- Because of the inherent default to stability and predictability, built to last eventually devalues creativity and originality and, over time, can result in viewing either or both as a heretical threat to the status quo.
- Building to last reinforces a false duality of separation from nature and the natural ebb and flow of all life."
In healthcare, perhaps more than any other industry, resistance to change is huge. There's good reason in many cases: clinicians are trained to adhere fiercely to protocols with proven results. Adapting to new protocols doesn't come easily.
Healthcare executive leaders will be challenged to learn how to work with clinical leaders to create a culture that makes it safe to innovate. By definition, one cannot innovate without the failures that add up to ultimate success.
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