Changes in store for elevate meetings
As registration begins this week for the next elevate Leadership Development Institute, organizational changes in the structure of the quarterly management meetings will greet those attending the August sessions.
Typically the LDIs are held on two consecutive days with largely identical programs. Staff and faculty with leadership responsibility are invited to attend one of the days and to follow up by briefing others in their departments about the content of the presentations and implementing the tools and techniques that were discussed.
The next LDI dates are Aug. 29 and 30.
The morning session at the upcoming LDI will be familiar to regular attendees. It will begin with a report from Harry Jacobson, M.D., vice chancellor for Health Affairs, about progress toward the five pillar goals of the Medical Center's elevate quality initiative, of which LDIs are a key component, followed by a keynote address setting the stage for the day's theme.
The keynote address for the August sessions will be delivered by Peg C. Neuhauser, author of the book “Tribal Warfare in Organizations,” as well as several other books about workplace cultures.
But the afternoon sessions will be different, featuring breakout programs directed to specific needs of various Medical Center work areas, with each LDI attendee selecting which session to attend.
Peter Giammalvo, Ph.D., chief learning officer for VUMC, says the changes are a result of a desire to make the sessions more meaningful for Medical Center leadership and to assure that the knowledge gained is communicated throughout the institution.
“This is to break LDI groups down into areas of common need and learning,” he said. “Our audience is diverse in their needs and learning styles. This makes each LDI more of a professional conference, where attendees can help build a common culture and select content responsive to their specific needs.”
Giammalvo noted that most of the breakout sessions will be led by Vanderbilt staff and faculty, which also allows participation from more people.
The invitation list for the LDIs is also being examined to make sure that those who are most responsible for the culture of leadership at VUMC are attending — which may result in a different mix of attendees at future LDIs, Giammalvo said.