Eyeworld

6 Ophthalmology Business • July 2018 by Lauren Lipuma, Ophthalmology Business Contributing Writer Fostering innovation through constructive conflict dermine people. What it does mean is that we talk about it. We engage. We have the difficult conversation in a respectful way to get to the higher place." Why practices become stagnant Even the most successful practices can become stagnant in the modern healthcare environment, according to Mr. DeGraff. Innovation often takes a backseat to the daily pres- sures and responsibilities of being a clinician and running a practice, and in many ways, building a successful practice requires physicians to sacri- fice the creativity that often leads to new ideas. "In all of our lives, in all of our practices, we have to do two things," Mr. DeGraff said. "We have to main- tain quality. We have to make sure that everything works. And we do that by creating standards and by eliminating variation. We get rid of all the weird stuff." Mr. DeGraff argued that to grow a practice, physicians have to reintroduce the "weird stuff." But this tension between evolving and maintaining a standard of quality is difficult to manage, he said. One reason for this is the risk associated with first mover advantage. In marketing strategy, first mover advantage is the competitive advan- tage gained by being the first person to occupy a market segment, wheth- er it's adopting new technology or using a certain resource. If your practice is doing well, you're unlikely to be the first mover and gain the advantage because you have a lot to lose if it goes wrong, Mr. DeGraff said. Practices don't often change when they're successful; they Mr. DeGraff is a business profes- sor, speaker, author, and consultant to multiple Fortune 500 companies with more than 25 years of experi- ence helping businesses assess their potential for innovation and growth. Speaking at the 2018 ASCRS Lecture on Science, Medicine and Technolo- gy, Mr. DeGraff gave attendees pearls on how to make a medical practice innovative in many types of situa- tions, like adopting new technolo- gies and providing a better patient experience. He described how to be innova- tive by using constructive conflict, where individuals come together to redefine or strengthen their rela- tionship for the greater good of the parties involved. "It does not mean we talk disre- spectfully to people; it does not mean we marginalize people," Mr. DeGraff said. "It does not mean that we un- Stagnant practices can become innovative by harnessing the power of conflict, according to a business expert P hysicians and practice administrators face a lot of pressure in the modern healthcare environment, and that pressure comes from multiple angles: from patients, insurers, the government, indus- try, and others. But Jeff DeGraff, professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, thinks physicians can overcome this pressure and move their practices into the future by being innovators. And the key to innovation is creat- ing constructive conflict, said Mr. DeGraff at the 2018 ASCRS•ASOA Annual Meeting.

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