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Think Big, Start Small, Move Fast

A Blueprint for Transformation from the Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation

Nicholas LaRusso, Barbara Spurrier and Gianrico Farrugia
McGraw-Hill, 2014
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

Can a storied organization as large as the Mayo Clinic be creative and embrace change? The answer matters: Your organization might not be responsible for treating the sick, but the Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation (CFI) can help it address the challenges of a changing world. Three of CFI’s founders and leaders walk you through how Mayo – with more than 2,000 doctors and 50,000 employees – keeps pace with innovation and change. CFI’s principles and models prove applicable to any organization, but readers with a health care background will perhaps benefit even more than others from the authors’ guidance. Still, getAbstract recommends this guide to learning and development officers, corporate strategists, and creative thinkers who want to make their organizations more functional, efficient and open to change.

Summary

It’s All About the Patient

The Mayo Clinic, a renowned leader in health care, is “the first and largest integrated, not-for-profit medical group practice in the world,” with more than 50,000 employees. The Mayo must continually focus on and work to improve its response to “the needs of the patient.” This necessitates keeping up with developments in health care and the wider world, and maintaining a “willingness to change.” The Mayo Clinic created its Center for Innovation (CFI) to implement change and enhance the customer experience.

Understanding that patients and their families generally have limited expectations of medical services and organizations, Mayo’s leaders work to raise its performance well beyond generally expected standards. However, the 21st century demands new ways of practicing medicine and delivering care. Health care is a complex industry currently challenged by the unique, combined stresses of rising costs, increased customer demands, changing insurance coverage and ever-older, more recurrently ill patients.

Mayo faces increased rivalries from other providers, pressure to apply “data-driven solutions” and a trend against its “destination model...

About the Authors

Nicolas LaRusso, MD, established and directs the Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation (CFI), where he oversees Barbara Spurrier, MHA, CFI’s administrative director. Gianrico Farrugia, MD, was CFI’s original associate medical director.

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