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                        JeffNEWS, February 21, 1995
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At Least One Thing Is Constant in the 90s - Change
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   o One thing is clearly a constant these days - change.
   o Not only is change and its impact with us daily, the changes swirling 
     around us come from or affect many different areas of our lives.  	
   o Societal change in the 1990s is virtually universal, ranging, for 
     example, from religion to the military.
   o Institutional change is not limited to health care, or to one 
     organization or occupation. 

Those were some of the messages about change delivered to a number of 
Jefferson staff and employees attending a workshop presented by PACE, the 
Philadelphia Area Council for Excellence. PACE is the administrative 
liaison for the Greater Philadelphia Healthcare CQI (Continuous Quality 
Improvement) Network. PACE network meetings bring individuals and companies 
together to generate dialogue and exchange ideas and experiences related to 
organizational excellence.

As a member institution, Jefferson hosted the workshop held at Bluemle 
Life Sciences Building for about 100 participants from Jefferson and 17 
other area hospitals and medical centers. The workshop was organized by 
Frank Giorgilli of Jefferson's management systems department and Petrisa 
Wittig of PACE. 

Presenters Jean Hurd and Jan Stefanski of Janus Consulting stressed that 
change is happening across the board today and that most of us will be 
affected by some form of change during the 1990s or beyond. It is a time, 
therefore, for both organizations and individuals to plan seriously and 
comprehensively on how to handle change effectively.

For organizations, the presenters pointed out, it is a time of 
tremendous opportunity to recreate themselves and give greater meaning and 
purpose to their mission. It is also critical that organizations allow for 
human factors if change is to be integrated meaningfully in reorganization 
plans. This is essential for the continued success and growth of both the 
organization and the individual.

Management in general is much more alert to the importance of this 
awareness than ever before, the presenters stressed. So too should 
individuals be alert to self-awareness as they examine their own life goals 
and talents - rather like doing a candid self-inventory. 

A sampling of what members of the group saw as instances of change in 
their own organizations, including Jefferson, when the presenters invited 
such feedback:  

   * No such thing as "status quo" any longer
   * Concern over balancing quality levels with cost cutting
   * Ending of vertical structure in organizations
   * Increasing emphasis instead on lateral communication and "team" 
     approaches
   * Less time to think and polish
   * Chronic uncertainty over exactly what is going to change
   * Change in traditional employer/employee relationships


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Information provided by:  Editor, JeffNEWS
                          (215) 955-6204
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