Penn State Hershey
Empowering Healthcare Leadership and Innovation at Penn State Hershey
Energizing Leaders, Aligning Goals
Penn State Hershey, with nearly $2 billion in annual revenue and over 10,000 employees, is among the vanguard of healthcare leadership and innovation in the nation today. However, in 2012 due to a rapidly changing regulatory and competitive healthcare environment, the organization needed to re-evaluate its overall strategy.
To align and execute on new goals, Penn State Hershey needed to energize its leaders to translate strategy into action. Many of these leaders were accomplished physicians, researchers and clinicians with outstanding technical skills but no formal training in business leadership. Recognizing the need for an educational solution, Penn State Hershey partnered with Penn State Executive Programs to form the Penn State Hershey Leadership Academy for Excellence in Academic Medicine â an interdisciplinary education effort designed to enable physicians, researchers, and administrators to excel in leadership roles. The Leadership Academy is now in its seventh year.
New Roles Require Business Acumen
Leveraging Penn State Executive Programs' business strategy acumen, participants learn to think systemically to improve the performance of the healthcare system through competitive assessment, strategy formulation, strategic and financial decision making, conflict management, and collaboration. Additionally, participants are taught to strengthen collaboration with strategic system partners and hospitals throughout to enhance training, research, and patient care. The Leadership Academy combines a variety of curricula to ensure a successful learning experience: face-to-face learning modules; Executive Programs' proprietary Strategy, Leadership, Culture Questionnaire (SLCQ®) organization assessment; 360-degree and individual self-assessments; case analyses; simulations; and peer coaching. Additionally, applied learning projects provide a practical forum for leaders to immediately apply new knowledge and key concepts while solving real issues facing their organization.
Strategy In Action
As a result of this partnership, Penn State Hershey has realized clinical advancements and innovations, research breakthroughs, and the creation of interdisciplinary units. On an individual level, several participants have been promoted to new appointments, including Vice Chairman of Research and Department Chair. Many business innovations as well have been implemented at an organizational level, including a strategic planning framework; flexible, competency-based curricula; inclusion of business and lean education in the family medicine residency program; and creation of a Center for Enterprise Innovation award. Chief Learning Officer magazine awarded Penn State Executive & Professional Programs with its Learning in Practice award for our academic partnership with Penn State Hershey. It is the third of six awards we have received for our distinguished partnership achievements.
