Managing culture through merger

Organizational change is about folks and their roles within the achievement of the company’s mission. It’s laborious to regular the helm whereas navigating the seas of change, however that’s what Mike Gifford, the CEO of Vivent Well being, has executed the previous few years. 

Since Gifford joined Vivent Well being’s predecessor, the AIDS Useful resource Heart of Wisconsin, in 1993 and he was promoted to CEO a decade in the past, not solely has the mission of the company modified, however so has the inhabitants they serve. In 1999, the very best minds combating AIDS in Wisconsin mentioned, “Don’t present well being care.” At present Vivent is the biggest supplier of HIV well being care within the state with the very best medical outcomes. 

This as soon as Milwaukee-focused AIDS Service Group has gone from native to statewide to multi-state throughout Gifford’s tenure, quickly rising the inhabitants they serve whereas experiencing main organizational change. These confirmed companies are actually being delivered in 4 different main cities in America. 

For years, the group’s HIV Medical Dwelling mannequin has been the gold normal for others all through the nation. Now that mannequin is being launched in Austin, Denver, St. Louis and Kansas Metropolis as a part of a merger of AIDS Useful resource Heart of Wisconsin, Rocky Mountain CARES, St. Louis Effort for AIDS and AIDS Companies of Austin, a mixture that created Vivent Well being.

In consequence, the group has skilled a lot of challenges alongside the way in which. Some organizations most well-liked their present mannequin and resisted shopping for in to Vivent Well being’s mannequin, whereas others have welcomed Vivent with open arms, leading to a capability to higher serve their group’s inhabitants.

Merging the tradition of 1 group with one other is simply as a lot a problem as a change in management model. 

The last word aim is to higher serve their affected person base, and people who accepted and adopted Vivent’s mannequin realized their sufferers could be higher served in the long term. The place resistance was met, it was about management – native versus nationwide. 

In some instances, a lack of id was a problem. These organizations overpassed the “superordinate aim”: to higher serve their sufferers, not defend their model or management. It was essential that the core values relating to affected person focus matched up and have been clearly outlined and supported by the company’s management.

How did Gifford and his board efficiently navigate the turbulent waters whereas sustaining their excessive ranges of service? Listed below are among the methods they utilized in approaching every goal company:

1. They set guiding ideas which are targeted on the wants of sufferers to direct merger discussions and choices. 
2. They created a shared understanding of what’s necessary. At Vivent their market tradition is: “We’re passionate champions offering unfettered entry to care, in pursuit of the best high quality outcomes recognized to humankind and assuring monetary power to be right here till the ultimate day of AIDS.”
3. They constructed the relationships primarily based on belief. They careworn that they weren’t right here to take over one other group; somewhat they have been getting into into the partnership to make sure each organizations proceed to thrive. For instance, they constructed plans collectively for expanded care with the Austin management group by figuring out their wants previous to the formal merger. 
4. Vivent invested time and sources bringing the varied cultures of the organizations collectively by specializing in the wants of the sufferers.
5. All discussions have been entered into with a way of curiosity and equality. The success in growing new companies in Denver and St. Louis made the conversations with the management on the Austin company simpler. The historical past of Vivent sticking to their commitments constructed belief between the events and facilitated simpler conversations.
6. A mainstay of Vivent’s technique is to ensure governance roles for board members of the group becoming a member of Vivent Well being. This contains serving on the nationwide board of administrators, board committees or a neighborhood advisory board. This direct involvement in choice making ensures that native wants are all the time prioritized and balances native and nationwide viewpoints.
7. Vivent invested the time and power wanted previous to the merger to make sure that the 2 businesses’ objectives, goals and supply techniques have been aligned. This will increase the potential for a easy transition and success of the merger.