As introduced at President Callender’s recent Town Hall, UTMB is working to strengthen internal communications so that employees throughout the institution feel informed, understand how they fit in the UTMB mission, and have a reliable way to voice concerns and get answers to their questions.
In response to extensive feedback from faculty and staff throughout the university, we are developing more effective ways of communicating within our departments, schools and institution as a whole. In order to improve two-way communication, we are introducing “Weekly Relays” — brief information-sharing sessions between team members each week.
In Fiscal Year 2014, Marketing and Communications facilitated in-depth research regarding internal communication at UTMB, including a review of current delivery channels, leader interviews, surveys of employees and supervisors, and focus groups representing a broad range of employees from across the Health System, Correctional Managed Care, Academic Enterprise and Institutional Support areas.
The feedback indicated that employees and managers want information to be shared in a more reliable, consistent, intentional and timely manner. Communication is a priority for supervisors, but they expressed the need for more support in those efforts. And there was a desire for supervisors at all levels to be the major source of reliable information for their groups. The feedback also made it clear that email and other one-way distribution channels do not meet all of our communication needs.
As our core means of sharing important information, the Weekly Relay will provide the opportunity for real time, two-way communication across our campuses, clinics and other facilities each week. More than 750 Relay Leaders have been identified throughout UTMB, and are being trained on how to conduct a Weekly Relay. A new Internal Communications Council representing Academic Enterprise, Health System, CMC, Business and Finance, Human Resources and Office of the President will help cut through the information overload to provide concise talking points to Relay Leaders. Weekly Relays get started in many areas the first week of March.
The Weekly Relays will be supported by some existing communications channels that will be enhanced over the coming months, based on the research. Those plans include a redesign of iUTMB to make information easier to find, the return of a printed version of the Impact newsletter to complement the online version, and refinements to Daily Announcements. In addition, “reverse Town Halls” will bring executive leaders to the workplace.
The benefits of improved communication include a higher commitment to the mission and vision; higher levels of service for students, patients and colleagues; more efficient and cost-effective use of resources; higher productivity; and enhanced quality and safety—all key success factors for an academic medical center and comprehensive health system.
We are excited about our improved system of communication and look forward to working together to stay connected to one another and to our university’s mission. With your help, we will move our communications grade to an “A” in short order.