Page 269 - Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company

250 The Disney Way

The reason scripting isn’t necessary for Griffin’s nursing staff or Disney’s
parks staff or Four Seasons Hotels staff is that authenticity comes naturally to
these employees and cast members. It’s one thing to use a script on an attrac-
tion like The Great Movie Ride at Disney-MGM Studios, where the script is
really part of the “show”; it’s quite another thing to use a script when work-
ing with the family of a terminally ill patient who expects truthful answers on
topics ranging from pain management to hospice care.
Are Griffin’s beliefs being rewarded? You bet. Griffin Hospital has been
conducting community perception surveys on a regular basis since 1982.
Results of the most recent survey completed in November 2005 show that
the quality of care at Griffin is on a par with Yale New Haven Hospital and
above the other six competitor hospitals. Griffin’s emergency room was rated
highest of all hospitals in the region, and, overall, Griffin was rated the most
improved hospital by a three to one margin.

Dare

If you think culture change is difficult to achieve in the typical American
organization, you’d be right. To create a winning culture, the vision and
values of the organization must be brought to life and demonstrated every
day. Hospitals, however, are “change allergic,” according to David Freeman’s
1999 Inc. magazine article on Griffin. And the unfortunate truth is that,
today, one can readily spot evidence of resistance to becoming “guest friend-
ly” in the vast majority of hospitals across the country. It doesn’t take long to
find those halls of linoleum, bright fluorescent lights, cluttered hallways, and
clusters of nurses whispering—all in the name of “good health care.”
In Chapter 4, we described Patrick Charmel’s success in transforming
Griffin Hospital into a wellness paradise, which began in the hospital’s
maternity ward. Together, Patrick and long-time fellow associate Marge
Deegan, vice president of ambulatory services, set out on what would
become one of the most “creative” journeys of their lives. They traveled
together as the “pregnant” mom and concerned “husband” for the purpose
of experiencing hospital birthing facilities directly through the eyes of the
customer. No facility totally matched their dream of a place to serve as the
stage for one of almost every family’s main events—becoming parents. Most
hospitals give families the opposite feeling, to which many of the leadership
team, including Patrick himself, could attest.
Without uncovering a model to “imitate,” Patrick vowed to “innovate.”
He would bring his team together and produce a “magical” patient-centered,