Q&A: Communicating expectations to achieve excellence

Editor’s Note: I recently came across this question and answer in one of our sister publications Nurse Leaders Weekly. In this instance the use of the word “quality” does not refer to a hospital’s quality assurance or quality indicator program but to the overall quality of a given effort. The question regarding how effective communication enables a program or department to advance its effectiveness and implement and achieve new goals for its staff applies not only to “nurse leaders” but leadership in every aspect of healthcare—CDI included.

I am sure that you have all had a particularly influential manager or someone you thought was a really great boss at one time or another. If you had that person in front of you now, what questions would you ask him or her? How did their communication skills help your awareness of your responsibilities?

Q: How does communication factor into the success of my quality improvement plan?

A: Good managers know that quality does not happen by fiat or executive order but is the result of staff members’ comprehensive understanding of what is expected of them, why it is appropriate to expect it, how they will be supported to deliver that performance, and how they will be evaluated according to defined criteria.

Communication is core to:

• Defining the expectations of the organization for each employee’s performance
• Clearly linking those expectations to the mission of the program and the larger organization
• Outlining for employees how their individual and team performances are measured and evaluated, and keeping them informed of the results
• Listening to employees’ thoughts and ideas about potential improvement, born of direct experience in delivering care and service
• Sharing with employees the progress and knowledge developed elsewhere in the organization, and outside it, which may help employees improve individual and team performance

Editor's note: Melissa Varnavas is the associate editorial director of ACDIS. Contact her at mvarnavas@acdis.org.