When the hospital is acquired, staff recognizes the opportunity to grow beyond the ceiling that was established by the previous ownership. Veterinarian, nurse, and technician can be self-limiting occupations for a person with a fixed mindset and external locus of control. Nurturing front line staff’s desire to develop their skill set and extend their career ladder beyond one hospital is a unique opportunity that consolidators can provide to existing teams. Given these opportunities, the staff who embrace the continuous improvement mindset will be more flexible to change.
If the consolidator does not have a clear path to continuous learning, it is limiting the opportunity to develop a continuous improvement culture. Very soon after acquisition, the ambitions of the staff to develop will diminish and revert to the day-to-day routine. This will create roadblocks during the change management processes required to optimize margins with growth levers involving front line staff (Decentralized changes).