Cleveland Clinic’s Global Executive Education Reaches a Tipping Point

In the acclaimed bestseller, “The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference”, author Malcolm Gladwell illuminates the tipping point phenomenon. He writes, “Look at the world around you. It may seem like an immovable, implacable place. It is not. With the slightest push — in just the right place — it can be tipped.”

Under the leadership of Senior Director Aura Lopez, MBA, Cleveland Clinic’s Global Executive Education team has reached a tipping point that is having a profound effect on the delivery of healthcare executive education, with the ultimate goal of improving care for patients.

How would you describe this tipping point?

AL: For many years, we have been honored to welcome healthcare leaders from the U.S. and around the world to participate in our open enrollment model of experiential learning offerings. These programs have given these leaders the opportunity to see the inner workings of Cleveland Clinic and to meet and learn from many of our healthcare leaders. This year, along with our numerous open enrollment programs, we have dramatically quickened our pace due to exponential growth in requests for customized programs.

In the past two years, several healthcare organizations have approached us to either bring our programs to their geographic location, or to develop a customized healthcare management program in Cleveland for their hospital leaders. In March, we launched our first in-country initiative outside of the U.S. in Latin America. Simultaneously, we were welcoming several groups of healthcare leaders from China and the Middle East for programs designed expressly for their organizations. It is clear that we are seeing a new phenomenon – that our highly regarded leadership education programs have tipped in a new and exciting direction.

Was there anything in particular that influenced your decision to take you outside of your conventional training model?

A: Yes. Language and ability to travel have always been limiting factors that prevent some healthcare leaders from coming to Cleveland Clinic to learn about our unique model of care and management. This new direction means we can reach far more leaders around the world who are seeking executive health education.

For both in-country programs and U.S.-based customized programs, we can ensure participants that we will incorporate simultaneous interpretation with their spoken languages. Translation services can be arranged if the organization wishes, and we find that it does augment the learning and allows for robust and candid dialogue between program participants and our leaders, which brings learnings on both sides.

Additionally, we recognize that while some geographies have different models of care than ours, healthcare leaders still benefit from lessons learned and transparency in sharing our struggles. The key in developing these customized programs is to ensure that they meet the needs of the requesting organization, while embracing the natural differences each context offers.

Now that you’re embracing growth in a new direction, how can an organization work with you to create a custom program expressly for their needs?

A: Very easily: reach out with program ideas by contacting us at executiveeducation@ccf.org, or calling us at +1 216-636-2218. Organizations often think they should wait to contact us until they have outlined their desired program, which is not at all required. We encourage organizations to contact us with their general ideas or desired outcomes, and in turn, we will work with them to develop the ideal program for their country and/or organization.

Are you continuing to offer the programs you have always provided?

Yes, leaders tell us they still find great value in visiting us and taking part in the legacy programs we offer on site. These have been fine-tuned over the last few years, and continue to serve their purpose. Our customized programs are simply a great expansion of our executive education efforts, and we are excited to see what impact they will have on patient care.

Leadership programs developed by Cleveland Clinic encourage innovation and create projects that have positive institutional impact. For more information on Cleveland Clinic Global Executive Education contact the team online at clevelandclinic.org/execed.