Improving Onboarding and Transitioning New Team Members

As a management consultant, Jennifer Tomasik, FACHE, vice president and principal with CFAR Inc., sees opportunity in how organizations support leadership transitions. “There’s usually a big focus on identifying the right person for the role, and much less attention given to ‘how are we going to help this person succeed once they arrive?’”

Without adequate onboarding, things can go awry even if a candidate is a great fit. However, leaders can take certain steps to help ease the transition of new hires. “You don’t have to spend tons of time doing that, but you should be intentional about it,” Tomasik says. 

For example, organizations may want to consider what a new leader’s learning journey will look like once they’re hired, or how it will help them get to know each of the members of their team. This includes learning about the work they’re doing, what’s important to them, how they process information, how they prefer to communicate, and how they approach conflict and decision-making. “How do you start to get used to interacting with people in a way that is going to create those strong relationships from the get-go? I think that’s one important piece,” she says. 

Another is related to stakeholder engagement. Depending on the role, that could include their immediate team and other internal stakeholders as well as external stakeholders. Getting on the same page about short-term concerns and setting the stage for longer-term priorities is also important, especially in building trust. “If your expectations are not shared, you can’t possibly meet those expectations and may inadvertently be eroding trust along the way,” Tomasik says. 

She advises organizations to have “real clarity” about expectations and to check in regularly to ensure things are on track, whether through supervisory conversations, leadership team meetings or other mechanisms. “Executive coaching to support a new team member, and even the team as whole, can also have powerful benefits,” she says.

Although virtual onboarding has made the process of establishing a new employee easier, Inspira Health President and CEO Amy B. Mansue also has comradery among employees top of mind as well so that new team members can easily feel part of our community and form bonds during orientation. 

She also thinks that, because the system is moving so quickly to fill positions and onboard new employees, it’s important to put in place programs to support them. “We don’t have it hardwired yet, but that is certainly something I’m focused on.” 

Inspira’s use of the “operational advantage” model helps new hires build relationships in that it brings the organization together on a quarterly basis. “You’re in the room working with the leaders on all of the key elements. I think that has been a powerful tool for all of us to break down the barriers between the hierarchies of management,” Mansue says. 

The model also helps employees see how each of their individual goals are linked together. “That’s all part of the work; we’ve all got to understand what our role is and how we can move the ball forward. Because at the end of the day, it’s about how we deliver the care to the patient. That’s what matters to each of us,” she says.