A method for mediating conflict among different mindsets.

The tacit values of quality include tapping the creative potential of people, valuing their ideas equally, and viewing work as process--a series of steps that combine people, resources, and activities to produce a certain outcome. Mediation is a process that brings to the surface the creative thinking of people when differences, or conflict, exist among them. Mediation has the advantage--over arbitration, counseling, or negotiation--of seeking win-win outcomes that try to optimize the interests of all parties. This article seeks to provide healthcare leaders with a set of skills and concepts that will enable them to work through differences and achieve common ground. The mediation process, the characteristics of the ideal mediator, and the proper environment in which to conduct the dialogue are described. Lessons learned on how to creatively manage differing mindsets are enumerated.

Lessons learned hiring HMO medical directors.

A medical director has enormous influence on medical cost and quality in managed care organizations. Little empirical work has been done on the attributes of an effective HMO medical director. The survey discussed in this article sought to examine those desirable traits from the perspective of medical directors who have risen in the ranks to become employers of medical directors. Mailed questionnaires asked 30 experts to rate skills and personality qualities based on what they would look for in a prospective hire. The factors that emerged as significant were communication and interpersonal skills, clinical credibility, ego strength, concern about quality, motivation, data orientation, and leadership qualities, along with organizational/systemic variables. Implications for hiring and physician education are drawn.