OR Manager November/December 2021 - 7

Human resources
start without all members there. "
A team with diverse members has
different perspectives, which can help
keep patients safe and better meet
their needs. " Having a diverse group
gives everybody more opportunity to understand
or know something about the
patient or patient's family, " Archer says.
That insight can be based on having a
similar background or past experience.
For example, a staff member who is
a mother might realize that a mother
is late for her scheduled surgery not
because she is not considerate, but
because she does not have someone to
care for her children.
Brian Dawson, MSN,
RN-BC, CNOR, CSSM,
system VP of perioperative
services at CommonSpirit
Health in Chicago,
adds that patients
in the OR are in a highly
vulnerable situation, so
they are looking for reassurance.
Staff from a
diverse culture can proBrian
Dawson,
MSN,
RN-BC,
CNOR, CSSM
vide that because patients see people
who look like them. " It makes an individual
feel comfortable, " Dawson says.
The moral basis for diversity likely
resonates with OR leaders, most of
whom are motivated by wanting to help
others. If a diverse workforce is a matter
of principle, how can OR leaders operationalize
it? Considerations include
organization leadership and culture, education,
and metrics.
Organizational leadership
The CEO needs to own-and lead-the
drive for a diverse workforce, working
with the board of trustees. " The first
thing leaders have to do is to care, and
then be aware and learn more about a
diverse workforce and to see it as an
asset, " Dr Pujols McKee says, adding
that organizations need to make diversity
part of their strategic initiatives and
address it in terms of staff, the C-suite,
and the board. " That's the mindset an
www.ormanager.com
organization needs to take in order to
transform itself into a truly inclusive,
diverse organization, " she says. Data
back up the need for boards to diversify.
A 2019 American Hospital Association
found that 87% of voting board members
were Caucasian, 70% were men,
and 66% were between the ages of 51
and 70 years.
An organization that understands
the importance of diversity drivers at
the top of the organization is Luminis
Health Anne Arundel Medical Center in
Annapolis, Maryland, which received the
2020 Prism Award from the American
Organization for Nursing Leadership in
recognition of its diversity efforts.
" The progress we
have made over the
past 4 years has been
a result of the commitment
of the CEO and
board of trustees, " says
Tamiko Stanley, chief diversity
equity and inclusion
officer for Luminis
Tamiko
Stanley
Health. " Our CEO, Tori Bayless, has left
no question as to what is expected of
you. " One expectation is that no leadership
position is filled without considering
at least one candidate with a diverse
background.
The hospital system created a structure
that encourages diversity. For
example, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Leadership (DEIL) council, which
provides leadership and strategic guidance,
is currently meeting to discuss
diversity of supply chain vendors. Business
resource groups (BRGs), such as
African American, Hispanic, and LGBTQ,
focus on diversity and submit diversity
related goals. The groups, which have
executive sponsors and include participation
by perioperative staff, address issues
related to employees and patients.
For example, the African American BRG
developed a mentoring program for
employees of color and is addressing
retention of African Americans because
they were leaving the organization at a
higher rate than other groups. All staff
are welcome to join any of the groups.
Luminis Health's efforts have paid
off: Since 2017, there has been an 8%
increase in workforce diversity and a
10% increase in new-hire initiatives;
leadership diversity increased from 14%
to 21%. Diverse applicants comprise
61% of the applicant pool, with about
half (56%) of selected candidates from
diverse backgrounds.
Creating the culture
According to a survey of more than
19,000 Harvard Business Review
readers, a learning-oriented culture,
which encourages flexibility and openmindedness,
is a hallmark of inclusive
companies. This type of culture also
establishes goals and holds people
accountable for not meeting them. At
Texas Children's Hospital, Archer says
leaders are required to choose accountability
partners who are different from
themselves. For example, people might
choose a mentor younger than themselves
so they can better see how a
different generation perceives them as
leaders. " Accountability partners help
us make sure we are making some of
these changes and talk through barriers
to making change, " Archer says.
A culture that supports DEI depends
on the leader's commitment to the organization's
goals, which Estrera says are
the same no matter the leader's background.
He tells OR managers, " You
could be speaking a different language,
you could be from a different cultural
background, different religion, different
political views, but our mission and vision
will be the same. " He notes that
everybody needs to buy in. " It starts
with executive leadership, down to
senior leadership, middle management,
and frontline leadership to the staff. "
At that same time, the organization
needs to recognize what employees are
looking for in life, says Stefanie Johnson,
PhD, academic director of the cenContinued
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OR Manager | Nov/Dec 2021
7
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