RWL Newsletter #87
Greetings from the sweltering hot confines of the University of New Hampshire! I taught two classes back to back Wednsday night and by the time it came to take attendance for the second class, I literally had sweat dripping off my face and onto my roster. It was disgusting. I know it's only in the 90's, but our poor HVAC systems just can't handle this kind of heat. Snow we can deal with, heat we cannot.
I think I have some really interesting stuff this week. I found a bunch of new podcasts I am excited about and have a reference to one below. The other two links are related to topics I have been teaching the past two weeks and I think they are cool as well.
I'd like to welcome all the new subscribers - there are about a dozen of you - I'm really glad to have you following along! Please send me a note and tell me if you find any of these tidbits interesting. Also, if you come across something worth sharing, please send it my way!
Pic above is from my paddle this past Tuesday morning. We had a lovely foggy morning and I was able to go out for a nice trip down Durham's own Oyster River. Great way to start the day!
Read
What: Mindtools, Lewin's Change Management Model
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_94.htm
Why: This week I was talking to my students about change - on the personal level and the organizational level. We talked about Lewin's Change Management Model and I found this nice summary on Mindtools of the theory. It's a simple model, but it's a useful way to think about it. We also talked about how all change involves some sense of loss, and we discussed Kubler-Ross's 5 stages of grief ( https://grief.com/the-five-stages-of-grief/ ) and how that model could also inform management's understanding of the process. As an illustration, I talked about my experience during the initial stages of the consolidation of Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Medical Center ( https://archive.is/20130121072807/http://www.dcmilitary.com/stories/071008/journal_28195.shtml ), and how I got to watch the employees of those organizations go through the 5 stages of grief as they saw their respective organizations forced through the trauma of a merger and loss of identity.
Watch
What: THINK 2015, Prof Michael Munger on health care
Why: Munger expresses an important point that is often ignored in health policy discussions: what are the political constraints? That is, he looks at the healthcare debate from the point of view of realpolitik - it's nice to talk about an ideal world, but we don't live in an ideal world. The idea of a 2x2 of government provision/private provision and government financing/private financing is a useful tool I have often referenced when I talk about these issues. Munger proposes universal health care as a voucher system in the US, not because he prefers it but because he things the country is headed toward universal health care (a political constraint), and voucehrs would be better than government owned/managed. A very good article on this 2x2 approach to government financing and provision is here: https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jep.12.4.133 .
Listen
What: Work life with Adam Grant, When Work Takes over Your Life
https://www.ted.com/talks/worklife_with_adam_grant_when_work_takes_over_your_life/transcript#t-278381
Why: I just discovered Grant's podcast this past weekend - appropriately on Labor Day! I thought this discussion about work life balance (or integration as I prefer to think of it) was really great. It also helped me categorize (and thereby understand) some of the behaviors and attitudes of my co-workers and colleagues. The basic idea is that some people like to blend work and personal life (integrators) and some do not (segregators). These preferences affect the value they assign to benefits such as onsite child care. It's a really interesting idea.
Thanks for reading and see you next week! If you come across any interesting stories, won't you send them my way? I'd love to hear what you think of these suggestions, and I'd love to get suggestions from you. Feel free to drop me a line by e-mail, or you can tweet to me at @mbonica .
Also, if you find these links interesting, won’t you tell a friend? They can subscribe here: https://tinyletter.com/markbonica
Have a great weekend and do amazing things!
Mark
Mark J. Bonica, Ph.D., MBA, MS
Assistant Professor
Department of Health Management and Policy
University of New Hampshire
(603) 862-0598
mark.bonica@unh.edu
Health Leader Forge Podcast: http://healthleaderforge.org
"I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor." - Henry David Thoreau