Everyone Included™ is a framework for healthcare innovation, implementation and transformation based on principles of mutual respect and inclusivity. It is the culmination of six years of co-creation with patients, caregivers, providers, technologists, and researchers at Stanford Medicine X that has resulted in a series of design and leadership principles intended to drive collaborative healthcare innovation efforts. Our work has been field tested and iteratively improved over the past eight years at our Stanford programs and convenings worldwide. There are many co-production frameworks in use, however, we want to share with you some leadership principles that have worked in our co-production settings that you may find useful in your work.
The leadership principles below may be a helpful start in bringing together diverse stakeholder groups such as patients, clinicians and researchers together to co-produce meaningful research work.
Everyone Included™ Leadership Principles
We believe in respect, not power hierarchies
This means we recognize and pay respect to the unique expertise individuals bring to the decision-making process and honor that expertise over one’s title or position when making our decisions. Hierarchy is important in all organizations–we just believe linking power with respect isn’t.
Leadership can be flexible
Leaders and leadership can be fluid and flexible. Flexible leaders cultivate change and innovation while helping the team stay true to the organization’s vision and mission. Flexible leaders surround themselves with talented individuals and recognize their leadership by thinking of themselves as the center of a wheel instead of the top of a pyramid.
Diverse teams lead to more creative solutions
Teams that have a hierarchical power structure, reach decisions fastest, but diverse teams where individuals are valued and respected for the expertise they bring, lead to more creative and innovative solutions. Everyone Included™ leadership seeks to create teams that include diverse representation from all health care stakeholders.
Diversity requires considerate leadership
Considerate leaders think of the collective “we” but also respect, value and acknowledge the unique expertise of the individuals that compose a diverse team. Considerate leadership can help mitigate inherent misconceptions that link power with respect and helps all individuals contribute their fullest potential as a member of a diverse team.
A culture of empathy and consideration creates trust
All stakeholders can bring inherent biases, misconceptions and misperceptions to a diverse team. Create a culture that values understanding other people’s experiences, helps safely uncover and learn from biases, and seeks to embrace differences and vulnerabilities as a collective strength. Create an environment that addresses the physical and emotional well-being of all members of a diverse team.
Conflict can lead to more creative solutions, but reduce its risk
Task conflict can help a team consider alternate viewpoints and lead to more creative solutions. Process and relationship conflicts almost never help a team perform better and can threaten team cohesion and viability. Recognize the value of task conflict but manage process and relationship conflict through considerate leadership.
* These principles are adapted from the Everyone Included Handbook authored by Professor Larry Chu and developed with design principles.
** This is more than "Patients Included", Medical and research problems are large and it will take Everyone Included to get the work done.
*** We look forward to sharing a future online course on leadership principles and how to implement them in healthcare and medical research.
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