Mary Jo Williamson offers four steps to maximize collaboration benefits
Mary Jo Williamson, chief administrative officer of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, recently shared with Becker’s Hospital Review four critical steps to building successful collaborations. Noting that no single organization has unlimited resources, she stresses that collaboration is essential for investing in diverse areas to make groundbreaking tools for diagnosis and treatment available to clinicians and the patients they serve.
“While working together can be powerful, making it most effective requires thoughtful planning and investment,” says Williamson.
She recommends fully leveraging collaborations by:
1.
Understanding how your organization uniquely benefits
Strong collaborations begin with a clear understanding of your organization’s unique challenges and strengths to help determine how a potential partner can complement your capabilities.
2.
Adopting a business model that fuels collaboration
Any healthcare organization can benefit from collaboration, but adopting the right business model can maximize its impact.
3.
Selecting the right collaborators
Regardless of your business model, not every collaborator will be the right fit. A strategic evaluation of potential partners ensures alignment in values, a shared value proposition, and mutually beneficial relationships that foster innovation and growth.
4.
Managing relationships effectively
Ongoing relationship management is essential and starts with clear, shared expectations that are revisited and updated regularly as internal and external factors evolve.
These four steps ensure that collaborations remain purposeful and impactful for collaborators, clinicians, and patients.
