Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/831159
28 28 CEO/STRATEGY University of Utah Health Care CEO Dr. Vivian Lee Steps Down Post-Cancer Center Conflict By Emily Rappleye V ivian Lee, MD, PhD, stepped down from her roles as senior vice president for health sciences, medical school dean and CEO of University of Utah Health Care in Salt Lake City, aer a high-profile con- troversy involving the director of the universi- ty's cancer center. Dr. Lee announced the news to faculty and staff April 28: "Taking account of the events of the last two weeks, I believe the best interests of the university are now served by the deci- sion I am taking today." e feud erupted when Mary Beckerle, PhD, director and CEO of the Huntsman Cancer Institute was fired over email on April 17. Dr. Becklerle, who has led the cancer center for 11 years, claims no reason was given for her remov- al. Billionaire philanthropist Jon Hunstman Sr., who helped found the institute, called the move a "power grab," threatened to sue the university, took out full-page ads in two local newspapers protesting her firing and threatened to withhold a $250 million donation, according to KSL.com. Dr. Beckerle was reinstated April 25. roughout the ordeal, Dr. Lee declined to pub- licly comment on the matter. "I am aware too that more than a few have felt there should be some sort of reply to the very strong criticisms of leadership and actions, directed especially at me," she wrote in her resignation announcement to faculty and staff. "is absence is not because of a lack of strongly held alternative viewpoints and substantive positions, but rather a clear sense that the best interests of our university and of our entire community are to collegially embrace one another and all move forward together." Mr. Hunstman said he did not regret Dr. Lee's resignation and called her a "one-person wreck- ing crew," according to KSL.com. He also called her integrity into question in relation to the ap- plication of a $12 million donation from Patrick Soon-Shiong, MD, which is currently under review by the state Office of the Legislative Au- ditor General, according to KSL.com. Dr. Lee responded to the criticisms of her character in her resignation statement: "In a more private way, it is fair to say that some of the strong invective directed at my integrity and character, which was carried in the news media over the past two weeks, has been dis- turbing, especially to the younger members of our family in this close-knit community in Utah we have come to call home." She added, "I am hoping my decision today will help in putting that completely in the past." During her six-year tenure leading the health sys- tem, Dr. Lee emerged as a leader in driving val- ue-based outcomes and investigating the costs of care. Under her leadership, the university recruit- ed 400 new faculty members and launched ini- tiatives in neuroscience, diabetes, global health, precision medicine and genomic sequencing, among others, according to a statement from University President David Pershing, PhD. "She has been described by her colleagues as a vi- sionary leader who maintains high standards for herself as well as others," Dr. Pershing said in the statement. "Dr. Lee has led a remarkable transfor- mation of our academic and research operations and has been at the forefront of innovations in healthcare delivery at the national level." Dr. Lee plans to stay on at University of Utah as a radiology professor. Dr. Pershing plans to announce her interim replacement soon. n Study: Executives Who Flatter CEOs Most Also Develop Greatest Resentment for Them By Emily Rappleye W hile CEOs may like to hear their top executives sing their praises, a recent study suggests they may want to be wary of managers who never voice dissenting opinions. Researchers found when top execu- tives ingratiate themselves with the CEO, the process can ultimately lead to resentment and result in the same ex- ecutives making negative comments to the press about the CEO. Unfortunate- ly, researchers found an even stronger correlation between flattery and re- sentment when the CEO was female and/or a minority and the top manag- ers were white males. The study, published in the journal Administrative Science Quarterly and featured in Harvard Business Review, includes survey information from 3,895 CEO and top manager pairs from large to mid-sized companies that bring in at least $50 million in annual sales. They found ingratiation — which may in- clude flattery, compliments and opinion conformity — is often used by top man- agers to build social capital with CEOs, potentially gaining board appointment recommendations or insider informa- tion. However, this type of ingratiation can be demeaning for the executives who make the comments and lead to behaviors that damage their target — such as making negative comments to the press about the CEO. The researchers found negative com- ments were both direct and indirect. In their article for HBR, the study authors gave examples of negative comments to journalists, such as "the 'board is picking up the slack' or that the CEO 'recognizes their lack of experience.'" They found the correlation between flattery and resentment was strong. So strong, in fact, that an increase in com- pliments by one standard deviation was associated with a one and half to two point increase in resentment on a five-point scale. The correlation was even stronger when white men report- ed to a CEO who was female or a racial minority, according to the report. "[O]ur findings suggest that the CEOs who tend to receive high levels of flattery and agreement from their managers are particularly prone to being socially un- dermined by those very same individu- als," the authors concluded for HBR. n