| Introduction
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| | to dynamic marketplace conditions. In
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| Over the past several months, members of
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| | academia, the president requires input
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| Phillips & Associates have remarked on a
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| | from faculty members. With decisions made
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| growing trend: mid- to senior-level
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| | by committee, change can come slowly. In
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| managers and administrators are
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| | these dynamic industries, however, it is
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| successfully making the transition
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| | imperative that organizations move
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| between the health care and higher
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| | quickly to mitigate risk. In addition,
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| education industries when seeking new
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| | the administrators of higher education
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| career opportunities.
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| | and health care facilities must deal with
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| We were curious about this phenomenon and
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| | a unique group of service providers,
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| decided to investigate further. We spoke
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| | physicians and professors, who are often
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| with leaders who had moved between the
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| | independent, entrepreneurial, and
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| two industries about their reasons for
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| | somewhat autonomous.
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| making the switch. We also talked with
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| | The types of roles in which people have
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| folks about the similarities and
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| | made successful transitions from one
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| differences between the two industries.
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| | industry to the other are varied,
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| We want to share with our clients the
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| | including support services, development,
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| insights we are witnessing in the
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| | information systems, facilities and
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| marketplace. We believe that this
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| | finance. Having worked in both
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| information will change some of the ways
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| | industries, Cheryl Hoffman, former Chief
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| you look at recruiting, as well as the
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| | Financial Officer at Beth Israel
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| way you look at future career
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| | Deaconess Medical Center and now Finance
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| opportunities.
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| | Dean/Chief Financial Officer of the
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| Health Care And Higher Ed: What
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| | Faculty of Arts & Sciences at Harvard
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| Similarities Do They Share?
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| | University, provides this view: "The
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| The health care and higher education
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| | leadership structure within the
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| industries share a similar profile and
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| | departments is very similar between the
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| nowhere is that more apparent than in New
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| | two industries. For example, the
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| England. In fact, some of the country's
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| | departments on the medical side are often
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| leading universities are located in New
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| | divided along clinical lines, such as
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| England. Many of these colleges and
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| | pediatrics and surgery, with a chief
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| universities also have prestigious
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| | heading each; on the faculty side, the
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| medical schools, such as Tufts, Boston
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| | structure is divided along department
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| University, University of Massachusetts,
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| | lines such as humanities and social
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| Yale, Harvard, Brown and Dartmouth, and
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| | science with a department chair of each.
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| they are affiliated with the area's top
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| | If you look at the roles and titles of
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| teaching and community hospitals. Gary
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| | administrators between the two
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| Vassar, Director of Human Resources at
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| | industries, you will see that health care
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| Children's Hospital, notes that the close
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| | and academia have parallel
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| affiliation between academia and health
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| | responsibilities: for example, both may
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| care also extends into the training of
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| | have a vice president in charge of plant
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| allied health professionals; now most
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| | and facilities or a vice president of
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| nurses and other non-physician providers
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| | finance." Another example in the finance
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| are trained in schools that are part of
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| | area is the controller or trust fund
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| university or college systems. In
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| | finance position that is similar in both
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| addition, many of the instructors for
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| | health care and higher education,
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| these academic programs are also
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| | especially given similar cultures,
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| practitioners.
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| | missions and operations.
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| Besides sharing a close connection from
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| | Transitioning Between The Two Industries
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| an academic perspective, health care and
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| | The fact that there are so many
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| higher education institutions share many
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| | similarities between health care and
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| similarities in terms of organizational
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| | higher education is good news for
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| structure, philosophy or mission and
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| | professionals in both industries. Many
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| personnel needs. These similarities open
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| | people have successfully made the
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| the way to increased career opportunities
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| | transition from one industry to the
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| for seasoned organizational leaders,
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| | other. The skills required for mid- to
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| especially during these times of strong
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| | senior-level administrative positions are
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| demand coupled with a limited supply of
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| | complementary and applicable to either
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| professionals. For this reason, many
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| | industry. The cultures are similar, as
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| employers are seeking to hire people from
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| | are the roles within the operations area,
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| similar industries, rather than requiring
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| | often leading to a smooth transition for
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| specific industry experience.
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| | the new employee.
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| Health care and higher education
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| | MIT's Avakian believes that the essential
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| organizations are service providers.
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| | skills for many roles, such as human
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| Their success depends on their strong
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| | resources, purchasing, facilities
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| reputation and the satisfaction of their
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| | management, budget, and audit are easily
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| customers with the quality of the service
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| | transferable between industries. "The
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| provided. Quality is determined through
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| | nuts and bolts of the job are similar. I
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| consumer feedback and success rates. This
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| | have a friend in HR at a manufacturing
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| contrasts with many other industries,
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| | firm; she spends a considerable amount of
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| which are sales-oriented and
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| | time dealing with incentive compensation
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| product-driven in nature.
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| | and other for-profit issues. My job
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| Health care and higher education
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| | requires more time dealing with labor
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| organizations have to compete mightily
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| | employee relations and management
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| for customers, requiring these
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| | structure issues in higher education,
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| institutions to invest in the resources
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| | just as I did when I worked in health
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| that will help them be more
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| | care. Similarly, in the specialty fields,
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| qualityoriented, more cost-conscious,
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| | a research biologist here at MIT also
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| more customer service driven and more
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| | could work in health care."
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| innovative than their competitors.
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| | Mark Kostegan, President of the
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| Higher education and health care attract
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| | Healthcare Foundation of Cape Cod, hired
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| individuals with similar profiles. "The
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| | several professionals with higher
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| service mission of both health care and
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| | education experience into positions he
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| higher education tends to attract people
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| | supervised while at Children's Hospital
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| who are engaged in a social cause,"
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| | and Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary. "I
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| according to Laura Avakian, Vice
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| | looked into the academic pool for talent
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| President of Human Resources at the
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| | in the area of development and concluded
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| Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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| | that if you can raise money successfully
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| (MIT) and former Senior Vice President of
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| | in academia, you can transfer those
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| Human Resources at Beth Israel Deaconess
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| | skills to health care, and vice versa.
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| Medical Center and CareGroup, Inc.
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| | It's the same skill set, tactics and
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| "Employees at all levels have social good
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| | process. Basically it's a service-based
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| as an important cause in their daily
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| | environment with a strong social cause.
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| work."
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| | There are few obstacles to prevent
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| Both health care and higher education are
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| | someone from transitioning from one
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| labor-intensive industries, employing a
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| | environment to another. With the right
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| widely diverse population, in terms of
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| | skill set, you can be successful in
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| ethnicity, job function and level of
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| | either arena."
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| education. As Avakian explains, "You have
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| | Keene Metzger, Dean for Administration at
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| highly educated people at one end of the
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| | Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at
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| spectrum, such as doctors and professors.
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| | Harvard University and former Vice
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| On the other end of the spectrum, there
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| | President of Finance at Somerville
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| is a large population of culturally
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| | Hospital, acknowledges that switching
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| diverse individuals whose first language
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| | industries can be worrisome. One may be
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| is often not English. These are the
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| | concerned with the different skill base
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| dominant ends of the spectrum with
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| | and knowledge needed for the new
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| specialized folks in between, providing
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| | industry. As a financial officer for the
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| an interesting organizational structure,
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| | third time, but without experience in
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| which significantly affects policy
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| | academia, Metzger had this to add: "The
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| making. This is of particular importance
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| | key is to listen to the advice of those
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| since these industries are complex, labor
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| | who have been in the industry for a long
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| intensive organizations, where salary and
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| | time. There is a wide range of
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| benefits account for about 50% of the
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| | opportunities and if you listen to others
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| operating budget. Compare that to the
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| | you can benefit from their strengths and
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| airline industry, for example, which may
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| | knowledge. Keep your eyes and ears open."
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| be at 20%. In health care and higher
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| | Cheryl Hoffman agrees, "Be open minded;
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| education, you need hundreds of people
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| | learn and begin to understand the
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| with specialized skills at all different
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| | organization before you move forward with
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| levels to make the place run well."
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| | changes. New blood and new perspectives
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| Most health care and higher education
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| | can be very healthy for the organization
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| institutions are long-standing,
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| | as well for the individual."
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| not-for-profit organizations with rich
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| | This article is drawn from Phillips
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| traditions dating back one hundred years
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| | DiPisa's Thought Leadership Library. You
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| or more. Over time, they evolved into
| |
| | can find more perspectives on managing
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| complex organizations, where
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| | today's complex healthcare organizations
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| decision-making involves input from a
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| | on our Web site at
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| variety of key constituencies with a
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| | Phillips, DiPisa & Associates
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| variety of viewpoints. For example,
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| | 62 Derby Street
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| hospital administrators must involve
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| | Hingham, MA 02043telephone: 781-740-9064
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| physicians who may be reluctant to
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| | Copyright (c) 2007. Phillips, DiPisa &
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| embrace the changes required to respond
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| | Associates.
|
