One in four organizations are sustaining and successful, according to “Sustainability Through Adaptability” session moderator Peter York, senior partner and chief research and learning officer, TCC Group. Another third are slogging it out but still sustaining. One in three shrink.
“Sustainability is more likely in a structure than in loose collaborations,” he said. “The most sustainable efforts happen when we sustain processes that get results.” When organizations don’t have clear, codified processes, it becomes difficult to sustain. Further, you must be addressing a continuing need.
Leadership is the key, according to York. Leaders must understand the methods, processes, and products and be able to sell those. The first step is saying what these contain and how well the community knows what they are. The next step is to ask how you can sustainably resource them, perhaps through buyers or partners.
Sustainability requires results, York stressed. Even if a project is in process of showing results, you must be able to talk about what you expect to see.
Barry Malinowski, medical director for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Ohio, brought up the importance of getting everyone to agree to providing claims information without giving away proprietary information. There’s a tremendous amount of momentum in Cincinnati for getting results, he said.
Sandra Chavez of New Mexico Human Services Department Medical Assistance Division (the agency that administers the state’s Medicaid programs) had to figure out how to consolidate their resources. They started by integrating all their systems. “All health plans have to work together so we don’t have duplication,” she said. She added that they stipulated all partners must participate in AF4Q.
Said Cheryl Sbarra, senior staff attorney at Massachusetts Association of Health Boards (MAHB), “Pick your battles. I don't lose sleep at night over sustainability because we do something others can't provide.”
Sustainability depends on being able to bring people together who can solve problems.
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Peter York is senior partner and chief research and learning officer at TCC Group. A leader in the field of evaluation, Dr. York’s current work focuses on helping private foundations, corporations, and nonprofits develop and use “evaluative learning” approaches, designs, and methods.
