44 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine

Identifying

the ideal

healthcare

black belt

Organizational knowledge,

communication, ability

to effect change are

key attributes

By Casey Bedgood

June 2019 | ISE Magazine 45

In the healthcare world, common discus-

sions revolve around the question, “Why

are some healthcare lean Six Sigma pro-

grams successful while others are not?”

There are many factors that contribute

to successful change management pro-

grams such as organizational culture, program

structure, available resources, organizational

maturity with lean Six Sigma application,

training, top leadership support, etc. But the

most important ingredient begins and ends

with the people chosen and entrusted with

implementing change management method-

ologies across the enterprise.

Black belts, if properly trained and utilized,

will become top leaders impacting and lead-

ing change throughout the enterprise. There-

fore, identifying the right black belt charac-

teristics and deploying the proper selection

process for black belt candidates are pivotal in

ensuring program and organizational success

long-term.

The ideal attributes of internal black belt

consultants depend on the organization and

its resources, but there are a few desired basic

attributes that will limit or drive the success of

the black belt candidate and change manage-

ment program.

Base knowledge. In healthcare, it is cru-

cial that black belt candidates possess a basic

understanding of how operations, clinical

environments and process improvement inte-

grate and impact each other. These three main

functions are not mutually exclusive and are

dependent upon each other to ensure orga-

nizational survival and long-term relevancy.

Operations, clinical environments and process

improvement make up 90% to 95% of health-

care business operations and a lack of knowl-

edge related to any of these factors will limit

the black belt’s role, credibility, effectiveness

and ability to impact change throughout the

enterprise.

The ideal black belt should be able to walk

into any healthcare arena to lead cross-func-

tional teams, educate leaders and drive signiﬁ-

cant results, which requires a minimum level

of base knowledge around the integration of

these components, as seen in Figure 1.

Aptitude and willingness to learn. Suc-

cessful black belts need a basic understanding

of how statistics, data analysis, strategic design

Identifying

the ideal

healthcare

black belt

Organizational knowledge,

communication, ability

to effect change are

key attributes

By Casey Bedgood

46 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine

Identifying the ideal healthcare black belt

and healthcare system functions relate to the cus-

tomer-facing healthcare environment and be able to

apply them practically. As a business undergraduate

in a microeconomics class, I learned early on that,

“If you can’t see it and/or use it in the real world, it’s

not worth knowing,” according to Stuart Mounts,

Ph.D. Successful black belts will be continual learn-

ers with a passion for practical application of change

management techniques in the customer environ-

ments.

Facilitation and communication. Ideal black

belt candidates must be able to facilitate cross-func-

tional teams and communicate effectively at all lev-

els of the healthcare organization, from the C-suite

to front-line staff. Cross-functional teams comprise

clinicians ranging from paramedics and nurses to

physicians and operational leaders, from C-suite leaders to

front-line supervisors and staff of various business and support

functions. Success depends upon the ability to communicate

effectively to various audiences at once and gain the conﬁ-

dence, participation and support of those stakeholders. A key

facilitation attribute is the ability to sell the big picture in a few

words while staying out of the weeds and avoid overwhelming

the audience with minute details.

Results-oriented. Black belts are masters of driving signif-

icant results usually in very compressed time frames. Success-

ful black belt projects will impact the entire health system and

potentially the surrounding region if structured and executed

properly. Ideal black belt candidates will drive hard savings that

impact the organization’s ﬁnancial statement, improve quality

measure outcomes that impact direct clinical services provided

to customers and streamline service channels to ensure custom-

ers receive great access to healthcare when and where needed.

The ultimate test of a well-rounded black belt is the ability to

drive signiﬁcant results in clinical, service and ﬁnancial arenas

throughout the organization, which demands successful proj-

Positivity can transform the healthcare workplace

Having a positive attitude can transform the healthcare workplace, according to Nina Flanagan.

Flanagan is a clinical professor of nursing and program coordinator of the Adult-

Gerontological Nursing Program at Binghamton University’s Decker School of Nursing, part

of the State University of New York. Her comments appeared in the article, “The Power of

Positivity,” published in Caring for the Ages.

In researching positivity in the workplace, she discovered that a positive mindset is vital for

maintaining a productive and enjoyable work environment, especially in the healthcare ﬁeld. In

her experiences working at various healthcare organizations, Flanagan noticed the prevalence of

negativity and its harmful effects on both leaders and staff members.

“It’s easy to be negative,” she said. “It’s much harder to go against the grain and be healthy and positive and look at things in a

positive light. I think the lack of recognition is a lot of the reason why people get negative in healthcare. You hear a lot about what you

don’t do right and not enough about what you are doing right.

“Our workplace environment feels unstable, and instability can invoke fear and anxiety. This affects the way we respond to change but

being positive and reframing these situations can help to decrease some of the fear and anxiety.”

Flanagan said the power of positivity should emerge from leaders in the workplace, with the message being consistent and clear.

“(Negativity) can easily become a culture wherever you are working. To me, it has to be shed from the top, it has to be a leadership

initiative. It has to be something that’s expected and understood,” she said.

Flanagan suggests several tips to improve positivity in the workplace, such as offering positive reinforcement and transforming

complaints into gratitude and solutions. These starting points can be applied to more than the healthcare ﬁeld and offer ways for people

to promote positivity.

Nina Flanagan

FIGURE 1

Black belt base knowledge

Operations, clinical environments and process improvement make up 90%

to 95% of healthcare business operations and a lack of knowledge related to

any of these factors will limit the black belt’s effectiveness.

June 2019 | ISE Magazine 47

ects outside the black belt’s area of comfort (i.e., business unit).

Publication. Successful black belts should be able to pub-

lish the organization’s change management success stories to

achieve organizational, team and program recognition and

credibility. A good starting point would be simple, well-re-

spected peer review publications outlining the team’s and or-

ganization’s success with lean Six Sigma methodology applica-

tion. Publications also serve as good cost-effective motivators

and recognition platforms for internal team members, stake-

holders and black belt leaders. A realistic goal is for each black

belt to publish once per year to ensure they are utilizing their

skills and the organization realizes return on this investment.

Measure of success. There are several ways to determine

whether or not a black belt has successfully mastered change

management or is still learning the basics. Seven simple steps

will help an organization determine whether black belts’ suc-

cesses are basic or mastery level. Figure 2 offers details of mea-

suring the success of internal black belt consultants.

The ﬁrst step in measuring black belt success is ensuring the

candidate has passed the rigorous multiweek course require-

ments and performed successfully on the exam. Next, the black

belt should complete a successful project within one year from

exam completion tied to the course work with signiﬁcant re-

sults, including cost savings that impact the organization’s ﬁ-

nancial statement, in order to receive black belt designation.

After completing these basics, each black belt should publish

this work, at minimum, in a reputable peer-reviewed journal.

A black belt who has mastered the craft and methodology

will be able to compile a signiﬁcant list of successful cross-func-

tional projects outside of his or her professional comfort zone

with signiﬁcant results tied to clinical outcomes, service and

cost savings. As these achievements amass, the black belt should

publish at least yearly to celebrate team and organizational suc-

cesses while enhancing program credibility.

Finally, the black belts who will

become top leaders in the organiza-

tion should be able to save at least

three times their salary from success-

ful projects within 18 to 36 months

from receiving their black belt des-

ignation. This level of expertise sep-

arates the black belts who have truly

mastered the craft from those who

are still learning the basics.

Organizational success and long-

term viability are dependent upon

selecting black belt candidates that

have mastery of clinical environ-

ments, healthcare operations and

process improvement integration.

Black belts who lack knowledge in

any of these three areas will be lim-

ited in their ability to impact and drive change throughout the

enterprise.

Companies should ensure internal black belt consultants

achieve cross-functional results by applying their skill sets out-

side their professional comfort zone. True change management

experts will be able to achieve results in unfamiliar areas and

business units via leading, teaching and advising cross-func-

tional teams of leaders with various knowledge levels.

Don’t forget to publish the organization’s change manage-

ment success stories. Publications are a cost-effective means of

celebrating team success and garnering credibility and recogni-

tion for the organization’s process improvement program.

Measure the success of each black belt candidate as they

progress from the basics to mastery of change management and

reward high performers. It is important to note that the change

management masters (black belts) will more than likely be-

come enterprise leaders and should be rewarded for excellence

in change management outcomes. 

Casey Bedgood is a Six Sigma black belt at Navicent Health in Macon,

Georgia. He has more than 17 years of clinical, operational leadership

and process improvement healthcare expertise. He has extensive experi-

ence and knowledge related to leading, advising and training healthcare

executives, leading cross-functional teams and driving signiﬁcant results

related to service, clinical and cost excellence. He is skilled in lean man-

agement, facilitation, Six Sigma, optimization, strategic program devel-

opment, publication and integration of clinical, operations and process

improvement. Bedgood is certiﬁed as a Georgia paramedic and received

an AAS in paramedic technology, a BBA Magna Cum Laude from

Mercer University and an MPA from Georgia College and State Uni-

versity. He is also an IISE lean Green belt, IISE Six Sigma green belt,

IISE Six Sigma black belt, CAP-trained via GE and a member of the

American College of Healthcare Executives.

FIGURE 2

Measurements of black belt success

These seven simple steps help an organization determine whether black belts’ successes are

basic or mastery level.