The saying goes, "as long as I have my health" I will be ok. As we claw our way out of this economic recession, it is imperative that we understand what we are dealing with, how we got here and what we need to do to create a sustainable recovery, lest we wind up doing nothing more than flailing money at the problem in a state of drowning man syndrome. It is quite sobering to see tent cities in America and it is clear that many are hurting in many ways, but even in a tent city, one would say "as long as I have my health" in hopes that things will change for a better day.
The current state of affairs is a compilation of various root causes not just one. The president and many Americans on both sides of the isle are working hard and working smart to fix the problems. What I find fascinating is that many if not most of the issues that are crossing the wire are part of the reason we are in this financial mess. Energy policy, un enforced finance regs, outdated regs, unfair trade, health care and more, much more.
At the end of the day we can deal with most issues "as long as we have our health!" With out it, we are done. Ironically, healthcare reform is critical to solving what ails America. At the same time it is like the "we need a bigger boat" comment from the movie Jaws, when looking into the mouth of healthcare reform. At least that is a normal thought when confronted with such a daunting task.
The president has called all hands on deck to work together and solve these problems that contribute to the bigger picture, which really add up to nothing less than national security and the global recession. Healthcare reform will need a bigger ship not a bigger boat! The president was successful in bringing all the major parties to the table. But then what? What next? Well if we do what we have done in the past, then we will fail. We will go back to our corners and tailor our arguments to drive our agendas, which may or may not be aligned with the best possible solutions for the country's health. But everyone must be heard and taken seriously. Because while an individual might not have the answer, that person might have a catalyst/idea that is a step to another idea or viable solution.
Maybe Six Sigma's DMAIC, DMADV, Kaizen, Lean or some other process improvement cultures can be what facilitates the process of healthcare reform and successfully brings all the parties through the process together, and onto unprecedented problem solving! Or it might be that the tools would be used in various combinations for specific project needs and collaborations. This would allow a structure & culture that keeps us on track to solutions or closure on a specific area and not merely chasing rabbits. These tools combined will also teach those involved very valuable problem solving techniuqes that they will use in future opportunities, even at home!
I believe our nation as individuals is lacking in up to date problem solving techniques and maybe even confuses putting out fires with solving problems/eliminating root cause.
How do we solve problems as a team? When problem solving, do we DEFINE what it is we are looking to do, and at the same time define what we are not looking to do so that we do not waste time in areas that will not produce fruit.
Do we collect and MEASURE credible, relevant, un-skewed data, the voice of the customer? Or do we merely seek data that validates/qualifies our agenda?
Do we ANALYZE the data, allowing it to unfold, telling it's own story, speaking its facts? Do we listen to the data, understand it, accept it, even when painful? Or do we manipulate the data, have selective listening and take a ride on that great African river, denial?
Do we carefully develop and pilot solutions tailored to fit and IMPROVE what was defined based on our findings (the voice of the customer) and it's analysis and not what fits an ideology alone or some hidden agenda?
When we finally fix-it, do we all get happy, clap our hands, go have drinks turn our backs and return to our lives? Or do we put CONTROLs in place to monitor and determine future improvements that are inevitable, expected and necessary, as is the case with all continues improvement as we hand off the projects.
In a nutshell, this is Six Sigma DMAIC's (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control!) It is only one of several process improvement tool kits that are used to problem solve. It may or may not be the one for healthcare reform and it's complexities, but certainly the need to explore the various process improvement cultures for healthcare reform is absolutely needed and to not do so is insane. And we all know what the operational definition of insanity is.
Maybe, the president should require that all the teams find, implement and certify a process improvement culture that will facilitate their part of the solutions. Certainly the admin & congress can make the resources (instructors, materials) available. Maybe there should be an office of Process Improvement & Problem Solving Culture.
These tools are great when they are used properly and for the prescribed problems/opportunities. And like anything else, when they are not used correctly they can fail. What I do like about using process improvement tools is that you build your projects and their solutions on the VOC (voice of the customer not your opinion) and data driven facts and not merely assumptions. With these tools come the need to provide validation of findings (data or VOC) at every step. Note that the VOC is not just the external customer/end user but the internal customer/partners as well.
What tends to happen with teams is that a common process improvement language develops and provides the continuity necessary to finish projects successfully. I also love the fact, that team members are deliberately brought in together from every level, high and low. That alone brings amazing strength to a project via the diversity of thought and discussion! That way It is not just a bunch of brilliant people coming together at a meeting brainstorming solutions, voting and throwing them at the problem, without measuring, testing/piloting at every level & stage.
Ultimately, they work best when the top of the top management buys in 100%. It is then when those charged with bringing process improvement to success have the support needed to make it work. The really cool thing about it is, that "as long as you have your health" and you succeed, you will be able to replicate in other areas of concern like energy policy, finance regs, fair trade, etc, because you now have the tools & experience to conduct sustainable, continues process improvement/problem solving :)
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