Becker's Hospital Review

12 12 CEO/STRATEGY 20 Women at Top of Healthcare Organizations Discuss Their Leadership Philosophies and Patient Engagement By Molly Gamble I n early November, 20 executives, vice presidents, directors and other senior-level healthcare professionals gathered in Chicago to share their personal experiences and insights about gender diversity in healthcare management in a roundtable sponsored by global, re- search-driven pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. Participants in the conversation included hospital and health system presidents, CEOs, CFOs, COOs, chief intelligence officers, CNOs, chief experience officers and chief development officers, as well as women in the senior vice president and director levels of their provider orga- nizations. ey worked at healthcare delivery systems throughout the United States, from a major 800-bed academic medical center on the West Coast, to a major hospital operator nationwide, to a 190-bed com- munity hospital in the Northeast. e following article recaps the participants' robust 2-hour discussion about differences between female- and male-led leadership teams, chal- lenges they've encountered throughout their rise to high-level roles, advice for colleagues to support gender diversity in healthcare manage- ment, and thoughts on how healthcare is changing to better empower patients as partners in care. Gender composition in the C-suite Of all 20 roundtable participants, roughly one third characterized their workplaces as female-dominated. e distribution of female and male professionals in described hospitals and health systems varied depend- ing on the level of management, with lower levels generally seeing the most balance. One executive noted the Mount Everest effect, meaning opportunities for leadership narrow the higher one professionally ex- cels in an organization. A specific question the discussion group addressed was how a female-led leadership team differs from a male-dominated one, if at all. Females tend to cultivate a more collaborative culture — this was the most com- monly discussed difference between a female- and male-led team. e vice president at a nonprofit, 6,300-physician health system in the Midwest said her system as a whole is male-dominated, but the exec- utive team at the system level is 70 percent women. She noted recent cultural changes, which she attributed to the number of women in the C-suite. "I feel as though there's more collaboration on a female-dominated team than there was when it was male-dominated," she said. "at's probably the most distinctive difference." Studies suggest it's a good time to possess a collaborative leadership style. e amount of time managers and employees spend on collab- orative activities has increased by 50 percent or more over the last 20 years, according to Harvard Business Review, meaning this skill is in great demand. Inclusive and relationship-oriented management styles are especially valuable in organizations with matrixed leader- ship roles that seek to mitigate silos — a description that fits many hospitals and health systems today. Furthermore, as this article later mentions, more healthcare providers are emphasizing team-based care that includes patients as shared de- cision makers and partners. is progression in communication and relationship-building is best suited for inclusive thinkers and leaders versus those accustomed to traditional top-down management. "People are being invited to the table," said the vice president of research for an 820-bed teaching hospital in the Northeast. "Healthcare isn't a transac- tion anymore, it's a commitment to a relationship." Amid steady praise about collaboration and cooperation, some women acknowledged these leadership values come with a risk. When collabo- ration is not kept in check, it can devolve to an excessive and irrational commitment to consensus. is slows decision-making and will frus- trate even the most inclusive of leaders. "ere is consensus and consensus and then at some point you just have to make a decision," said the president of an 800-bed academic medical center on the West Coast. Senior leadership in her organization is split nearly evenly: 60 percent female, 40 percent male. "We're the most con- sensus-driven organization, and we're paralyzed at times." Of the one third of participants who characterized their workplaces as female-dominated, many noted recent improvements in gender diver- sity at their organizations and credited the shi to a single female col- league, past or present, who committed to further diversify the leader- ship team. For instance, the president and CEO of two hospitals within a seven-hospital system said her colleagues in CEO positions are bal- anced in gender. "Having a female system CEO was very instrumental in increasing balance with women and men," she noted. The confidence gap Several setbacks or challenges women faced in their professional jour- neys were made clear during the roundtable discussion, beginning with the confidence gap. Some in academic and business attribute the lack of female representation at the top of organizations to inherent differences in how firmly women and men trust themselves and their abilities. e female executives in the room personally vouched for the validity of this theory, which is also backed by numerous studies and research. "Men go aer a position if they have 60 percent of qualities, whereas women will say, 'No, I don't have 100 percent of the skills so I'm not go- ing to apply, '" said Nancy Di Dia, executive director & U.S. Head of the Office of Diversity, Inclusion & Engagement for Boehringer Ingelheim. "Men are much better risk takers than we are." e scenario Ms. Di Dia describes stems from a real-life finding at Hewlett-Packard several years ago. e company reviewed personnel records in an effort to get more women into senior management. e Sponsored by:

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