The Anatomy of Change The Anatomy of Change - LeadingAge

Responding To Change, Making Change
The world has always been about
change, but it seems to be upon us
with greater ferocity these days. Old certainties,
social and political relationships
and long-standing balances of power are
shifting both at home and abroad. Anyone
running a provider organization must be
thinking about what will be expected in
years to come, and perhaps ready to cope
with austerity the likes of which we have
Gene Mitchell
not seen for decades.
“The Anatomy of Change,” this issue’s theme, is one we will
need to cover continually. I’m optimistic enough to see change
as opportunity, and lots of LeadingAge members are as well.
That’s why they are rethinking business models, building partnerships
and finding new people to serve.
In “The Anatomy of Change” (p. 6), you’ll see how a few
provider organizations have changed their business models,
partly out of necessity and partly because their visions compel
them to advance their missions.
The seniors we traditionally serve are changing and providers
adapt. Some take it a step further and take on responsibility
to serve new and/or underserved populations. Learn how in
“Reaching the Underserved” (p. 12). While some providers
reach the underserved by changing their service mix, others do
it by partnering and integrating their own well-earned expertise
with other entities. See “The Anatomy of Partnerships” (p. 16)
vision continued from page 4
him frequently. I reviewed this situation with Whittington. He
asked me one day how I was doing. I replied, “My work has
never been more complicated. I have never felt more responsibility
for the people we serve even when they are served by
organizations we don’t manage. I have never felt more out of
control of what happens. And I have never been more excited
about the potential we have to help people better.”
Whittington responded, “The business relationship principle
you are experiencing is this: You and your colleagues have all
chosen to give up a measure of control to gain more power for
the people you serve in the marketplace.”
The power of community may be the only thing that will
improve service delivery to seniors while curbing costs. The
“trusted guide” is the key role. Who better than you? Guiding
seniors, guiding the development of innovative communities:
your leadership challenge.
from the editor
to see how these partnerships arise and are maintained.
An important part of health care reform, from the eyes of
health providers of all stripes, is the anticipated growth of
accountable care organizations (ACOs). While many of the
details of how ACOs will be structured and operate are still
being worked out, it’s not too early for aging-services providers
to think about how they may fit into that system in years to
come. See “The ACOs Are Coming” (p. 20), to learn more.
Our feature on p. 24, “A Switch (Just) in Time,” was a story
we initially planned to integrate into one of the features above.
But this tale, of two top CCRC executives who switched jobs
as a result of careful organizational introspection, was just too
unique.
As we prepare to celebrate our 50th anniversary at this year’s
LeadingAge Annual Meeting and IAHSA Global Ageing Conference,
we’re kicking off a series of articles on the past and
future of the association. See “Celebrating Our 50th” on p. 28.
Providers hoping to improve operations are encouraged to
launch pilot studies when trying out new systems. In “Self-
Scheduling for Nursing Assistants: A Pilot” (p. 36), read about
how one Kentucky organization introduced self-scheduling for
CNAs as a way to reduce turnover and absenteeism.
LeadingAge magazine | March/April 2011 5