In our last post, we talked about the need to adopt a collective approach to overcoming the beliefs, behaviors, and barriers to substantial and sustainable health. Achieving different outcomes will require a change in behavior at all levels of influence within the social-ecological framework, including regulatory, payor, and corporate policy; community support and infrastructure; leveraging positive peer pressure and community influencers; and ultimately connecting the macro goals to the hearts, minds, and values of individuals.
As an employer, how do you begin to crack this nut? Substantial success requires a consistent, reproducible, and sustainable process. At SHI, we call this MEASURE, MAP, PARTNER, PLAN.
First, MEASURE individual behaviors, beliefs, and perceived barriers (3Bs) as well as confidence and readiness to change. This real-time assessment is very different from the transactional nature of costly biometric testing, which tells you what happened, but not why it happened.
MAPPING your population’s 3Bs at an aggregate level gives you both broad and deep insight into your population’s why. Armed with aggregate insight, you can PARTNER and PLAN with all stakeholders to bridge the gap between top-down prescriptive programs and bottom-up grassroots efforts.
There are seven steps to success when it comes to strategic partnering and planning:
Step 1: Raise AWARENESS
Share the aggregate results with your community members.
Step 2: Describe Your DESTINATION
Choose a top one issue to tackle, and describe your outcome in vivid detail.
Step 3: Link VALUES
Engage people in problem-solving and link their drives to the top one goal.
Step 4: Align ACTIONS
Each level of the community defines and owns the best next “measurable” steps to influence the TOP ONE.
Step 5: Create NEIGHBORHOODS
Use grassroots positive peer pressure to shape and sustain behavior changes.
Step 6: Expect CONSISTENCY
What gets measured, gets down, so track lead measures routinely.
Step 7: Alter the ENVIRONMENT
Remove “non-human” barriers and create compelling rewards.
SHI’s ADVANCETM Health Program of Action provides you with a sustainable structure to support the long-term health and safety of your people and your community. Once you’ve achieved your first TOP ONE, you can tackle your next target.
Behavior change occurs when you focus on the wildly important, create achievable action items that move the needle, and keep a compelling scoreboard. Substantial success comes from a sustainable process. Success breeds success. Start, start small, and don’t stop.