¶ … Interview with the Managing Director of Human Resources at Weill Cornell Medical Center; A Reflective Report The Interviewee

Perspectives on the role of the head of HR

Lessons from the Interview

Potential for collaboration

The role of HR in nursing is of paramount importance as the profession relies on the skills and knowledge of the employees, as well as the motivation and care of the staff (Keem and Bruvold, 2003). The aim of this paper is to assess the role of the head of HR in a medical setting, examining their role and tasks, reflecting on the role and the way HR and nursing departments should or do collaborate to create value. This was undertaken using an interview with Patrick Gallagher, the Managing Director of Human resources and Housing at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York

The Interviewee

Patrick Gallagher did not study HR, he was educated at Michigan State University and Eastern Michigan University, graduating from the latter in 1998, where he studied history and political science (LinkedIn, 2017). After leaving collage, Patrick entered a career in sales for Future Electronics before moving to e Citigroup as a training coordinator (LinkedIn, 2017). It was this move into training which leads him into HR. His first job in the healthcare centre was with HealthPlus between 2003 -- 2004 as a trainer and internal OD consultant (LinkIn, 2017). From here Patrick moved to the Lutheran Medical Center, stating out as a manager of recruitment and retention, gaining several promotions before taking on the role of Director of Compensation and HRIS at Piedmont Healthcare (LinkIn, 2017). It was following 10 months in this position that Patrick moved to Weill Cornell Medicine in January 2011 as the Total Rewards Leader, becoming the Director of Human Resources Operation in October 2012, becoming the Managing Director of Human Resourcing and Housing in May 2014 (LinkIn, 2017). Living and working in New York, Patrick was a good subject for an interview regarding HR in a nursing setting.

Interview Summary

Patrick was interviewed using predetermined questions, based a semi-structured interview process. The semi-structured approach facilitates the ability of the interviewer to obtain the information they need by providing a solid foundation for the interview, with the semi structured rather than a structured approach facilitating a greater level of flexibility with the ability to delve deeper into answers given (DiCicco-Bloom and Crabtree, 2006). A copy of the question framework for the interviews is provided in appendix 1.

Interviewing Patrick, the first question concerned his role at Weill Cornell Medical Center. Patrick stated that he had overall responsibility for the design and execution of HR strategy at the Weill Cornell. The organization has a tripartite mission based on research, clinical care, and education, which means the strategies need to be aligned with all of these functions, and the different departments involved in realising these functions. Patrick added that this is not unusual, this means that the role is not simply that of developing, implementing and then maintaining HR strategies, there is also the need to consider the diverse needs of the various departments. Patrick goes on to note that the role of HR can be more complex in a medical environment due to the complex hierarchy. Not only are there the traditional hierarchies in terms of seniority, but there were also professional hierarchies, which are necessary due to regulatory and professional body requirements. Therefore, in addition to the traditional roles associated with HR, Patrick also notes that he is often a mediator communicated between different divisions and departments, collecting and correlating information needs in order to find acceptable solutions and develop suitable policies.

The second question built on the first, asking who Patrick is to work with in order to fulfil his role as the head of HR in the organisation. Firstly, Patrick has a division in which there are a number of subordinates who are key in supporting the strategic management of HR in the organisation. His department includes a number of individuals with specialist roles, such as the rewards and compensation specialist, individuals involved in recruitment and training, as well as general HR staff. Importantly, many of the elements usually associated with HR, such as training development, are undertaken in parallel hierarchies based on individuals' professions. Many individuals within the company are subject to ongoing professional development requirements, as well as seeking to improve their professional skills, so HR plays a supporting role in facilitating training development, but it is often undertaken within the professional hierarchy. This shows the high level of integration that is required across the departments, and the need for the IT systems to provide a suitable...

By necessity, this also means Patrick has to work with a large number of different Department division heads, and different teams across the various departments. Recruitment is also an interdependent task. The HR department responsible for the initial placement of advertisements in order to locate staff, and aid with the administrative roles. However, it is the relevant division/departments that undertake the recruitment process, including assessment of applications and interviews. The bureaucratic elements, such as checking on previous references are undertaken within the HR Department. This requires a significant level of coordination and has benefited from the development of relevant policies on the recruitment process.
The third question concerned the specific programs or strategies which have either been implemented by Patrick or those which he strongly supports in terms of human resource management within Weill Cornell Medical Center. Patrick is a strong advocate of a participatory approach, in which there is a high level of teamwork and consultation. This does not mitigate or undermine the required professional hierarchies but does allow for sharing of knowledge and information. Patrick notes that this is part of the culture at Weill Cornell, although he has sought to extend this further with the concept of organisational learning, to improve overall performance. Organisational learning, and the movement towards a learning organisation is noted as being an important way of continually identifying and improving practices, being a proactive strategy which supports the tripartite mission. Patrick describes the way he sees organisational learning taking place, where there is an expansion of knowledge not only on individuals but the way in which individuals use that knowledge as a group or team in order to improve outcomes. The teams he mentions start with small teams in different departments or on the wards, but can also be seen with large teams such as the different departments working together. Patrick gives an example; if a teenager comes in suffering from a terminal illness, then there is a need to provide them with the immediate medical care, which may require workers several different departments, we also need to work with the pharmacy. However, with the professionals looking after the patient by working as a team, it will be possible to identify whether or not there are additional needs, such as the need for psychiatric or psychological support. This, he states, is an oversimplified approach, but demonstrates the way in which there is a high level of interdependency in an organisational structure which may be seen as akin to an unusual type of network.

Digging further, Patrick also supported the need for the employer and superiors to provide accurate and honest feedback to subordinates, including a high level of positive feedback in order to support motivation. He notes that in an environment where there are many stresses with a high level of pressure, positive feedback is important to support the round. Patrick also note the number of strategies or practices he supports and believes are integral to the success of the organisation, this includes the high level of mentoring which goes beyond the usual professional development, the counselling which is available for staff to support during times of stress including the loss of significant patients, the rewards program which supports recognition and motivation, the strategy of promoting from within when available, and the organisational culture.

The fourth question concerned the aspects which almost challenging on Patrick's job. After laughing, it was stated that all of the elements of the job could be challenging due to the scope and scale of the organisation and the nature of the work undertaken which was highly regulated. Patrick likened his job to that of a circus master, combined with a juggler and a mindreader, noting that the most difficult element of the job was having enough hours in the day to talk to everybody and gain and analyse data for making decisions. However, with a good department, these challenges were manageable. In terms of external influences, changes that have been introduced recently from the revelatory environment have impacted significantly on the administration of the hospital, which has created increased demands of the staff and required significant levels of training development. This has been a challenge, especially when combining the needs of the hospital to comply, with the budgetary constraints that are present. Finally, Petra decides one of the most challenging…