Lies, damn lies, and ……..
3 leaders were enjoying happy hour at a conference. Relaxed, they started sharing their stories.
First said, her hospital’s patient experience scores saw phenomenal improvement. They moved from top quartile to top decile in the peer group
The second one said, his hospital’s patient waiting time improved by 35%
The third one jumped in – our on-time surgeries have improved by 50%!
Great accomplishments, right? Sure……but what YOU didn’t hear was
Patient experience peer group had only 6 members, so hospital’s performance improved or other’s deteriorated? It’ relative improvement…not absolute!
The second one shifted from average waiting to median waiting times to neglect the impact of higher waiting times
The third hospital just adopted the new definition of on time surgeries!
Now, our point is NOT to be the jury and say if what leaders did was wrong or right.
We just want to point out – if you don’t understand the stories created with data and numbers, you will fall prey to Lies…damn lies….and STATISTICS
In the modern world driven by data, you must understand that data is used to create perceptions…so the question for you is –
Can you build story using data?
Can you show using data how your performance then let it be quality or efficiency of your work improved?
Can you tell me how numbers affect your satisfaction?
Let’s just look at some examples and see what can we learn?
1. Our profits have reduced by 50% compared to our competitor
2. We improved lab turnaround time by 50% compared to last month
3. Our processes have 50% waste in it which is going to be eliminated
4. Our department’s expenses have gone up by 20% this month
Now see, how would you react to these statements?
Would you take any action based on this data?
YOU SHOULD NOT!!
First, DO NOT REACT TO DATA – RESPOND!!
Second – look for the context –
Without context, data is meaningless.
Always, try to understand the context, the story data is trying to tell you and what you are supposed to take from it.
e.g. if someone tells you that your processes have 50% waste, that is going to be eliminated,, you should ask –
What is waste?
How was it quantified?
Which processes were considered?
Why was the analysis done?
What are we going to achieve when we eliminate waste?
And such relevant questions.
Now you see, why do you need to pause, check the context, and then respond?
Share your experiences with us stories using data, and perceptions versus reality!!