Leadership Roundtable: Mission-Driven Innovation with Dr. Thomas Graham

To simplify the practice of innovation, Dr. Graham has identified 10 P’s – 10 ways we can pioneer and practice innovation in our work:

1) PREPARATION: The first P is simply preparation – setting the stage towards innovation by first and foremost electing an innovation identity and claiming our role as leaders in innovation who are committed to making space for open dialogue, creative thought, and an inclusive pathway for all ideas to be heard.

2) PHILOSOPHY: With our second P, philosophy, we are encouraged to make innovation a core value of our organization, to strive to create a high-innovation environment, and to believe that innovation will move the needle for our health system to continue to grow. Embracing this innovation-rich philosophy allows us to reorient our work, envision a brighter future, and chart a new course forward.

3) PEOPLE: Embracing innovation requires the participation of our third P, people. We need to believe that we are innovators – that we have what it takes to approach innovation with our own perspectives and our own expertise. We also need to acknowledge that our teammates, too, are experts in their own right with great ideas to be shared and developed along with ours. 

4) PROCESS: Our fourth P, process, helps us remember that to excel in innovation long term, we must develop a clear process to support our efforts. Creating a container for innovation to thrive and building the proper infrastructure around the process allows us to truly “put our ideas to work” and move further with our creative and innovative solutions.

5) PRODUCTS: Products, our fifth P, is one of the more specialized ways we can practice innovation – involving improvements to drugs, devices, digital systems, and delivery of care. Innovating with products leads to a need to commercialize and monetize the product and share it with the market, which can provide additional incentive for many healthcare innovators.

6) PRACTICES: The sixth P of practices involves the support systems we build around innovation to foster creative thought, protect intellectual property, and hone our innovations to become the best they can be. Practices such as peer review councils, advisory groups, thought leadership forums, and legal/compliance partnerships are all valuable structures to have in place to increase our success as innovators. 

7) PARTNERS: Partners, the 7th P, reminds us of the importance of working together to achieve innovation. Dr. Graham shares that while our workgroup might have a lock we can’t open, another workgroup from a different discipline – or even another industry – could hold the key! We must be willing to share our ideas and be open to finding answers in unusual places to truly win with innovation.

8) PLACE: The 7th P of place acknowledges that our environment is key to helping us thrive with innovation. Our nearness in place or time – physical proximity to others – as well as cultural alignment and great personal relationships allows us to maximize our creative collaborations and increase the value of our innovative victories.

9) PHILANTHROPY: In regards to innovation, the 9th P of philanthropy refers to those who are inspired by being leaders on the cutting edge and who wish to participate financially in purchasing new equipment, buildings, or centers of innovation. The many donors to the HCMD through our Capital Campaign are prime examples of those who are invested in innovation and delivering world-class patient care.

10) PREDICTIONS: The tenth P of predictions, helps us keep that future-focused mindset, but reminds us we must have a healthy balance of enthusiasm and realism as we plan what’s ahead. It also helps us acknowledge the cost of NOT engaging in innovation – of not keeping up with the rapid changes in healthcare – and what’s at stake if we fall behind.

With ten ways we can dive into innovation, we can each find a space that allows us to thrive, bring exceptional ideas to the table, and ultimately deliver better patient care.