“Patient associations must be able to dialogue with all stakeholders, or other associations and institutions, but better if with a collaborative approach in order to derive greater benefit for themselves and for others “. She is convinced of it Federica Morandiresearcher in Business Organization, Faculty of Economics, Catholic University, among the professors involved in the first edition of “Raise the Patients’ Voice”, The higher education project promoted by Janssen Italia, in collaboration with Altems (High School of Economics and Management of Health Systems of the Catholic University, Rome) which ends on Friday 25 February. Objective of the initiative: to respond to the need on the part of patient associations to communicate effectively with institutions.
When asked: how should patient associations be structured in order to be able to dialogue with the various stakeholders, the researcher has no doubts: “We have to imagine the stakeholders as other associations, patients and their families, institutions – says Federica Morandi -. In the relationship with other associations it is necessary to start from the nature of the relationship that one wants to have, whether cooperative or competitive. In complex sectors it is often the cooperation strategy that brings the greatest benefit to oneself and to others, finding connection points to make critical mass towards the outside, adopting a collaborative networking approach, and incorporating in one’s routines the practices of other successful realities. All this passes through exploration, openness, confrontation, observation “.
It’s still: “In relations with institutions, the co-creation of guidelines with an active vision of all the actors involved is fundamental. Although at the basis of these relationships there is a constant search for legitimacy in the eyes of the institutions, the health system can undoubtedly benefit from the expertise of the associations. From this derives the role of competences within organizations, necessary for an open and constructive dialogue. Finally, in the relationship with patients and family members, the fact that the associations of citizens and patients are born together with the NHS and follow a growing dynamic in their implementation already in itself constitutes an important message about the dyadic relationship that binds these two environments, based on on constant collaboration “.
On what skills a leader of a patient association who wants to grow and interact with other stakeholders should have, Morandi is sure: “The topic of leadership is widely debated in organizational behavior studies – explains Morandi -. The successes of an organization are often attributed to the figure of the leader and to his characteristics. The ability to know how to indicate a direction and a vision to collaborators is fundamental for the achievement of organizational purposes and to achieve adequate performance, if not even above expectations.. Although in the context of associations dedicated to advocacy it is not easy to measure performance, some proxies are still detectable about the impact that associations have on the community that can be read as results. These are, for example, training activities for patients, the establishment of listening desks, the quality of the information provided, relations with institutions “.
But the competences “are not only theoretical knowledge, technical skills, but a fundamental role is played by behaviors, the so-called knowing how to be, which with the same technical / scientific competence is able to make a difference in the exercise of a role, including that of the leader “. For Morandi, it is important that patient associations also interact with other associations and institutions, because patient associations “are organizations in all respects, and as such they maintain constant and continuous relationships with the environment in which they operate – underlines -. Within it we can find resources, suppliers, institutions, but also other organizations (associations), which insist in the same context. Therefore, according to the logic of the company organization, the associations could not / should refrain from having relationships with others. However, the picture that emerges from their analysis returns a scenario in which networking is more of a need, a wish, rather than a consolidated practice. Associations often live in a state of isolation from each other, but at the same time they feel the need for exchange and comparison “.
And although “in almost all sectors the inclination of organizations to follow virtuous models, practiced by successful experiences, the so-called mimicry, is observed with a certain habit, in the world of associations this behavior is perceived almost as a practice negative. The fact remains that there are interesting and fruitful collaborations that forcefully bring out the message that the creation of opportunities for meeting, comparison, sharing of good practices becomes a stage in which associations can show their strengths, their virtuous experiences. , and at the same time learn from what others have done. In this perspective, associations will be able to successfully build an effective and lasting network ”he concludes.
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