Executive Summary

Client Overview:

Children’s Minnesota is a pediatric-focused hospital with a Level 4 NICU and a Level 1 trauma center for pediatrics. Serving the Minneapolis community, it is one of the largest freestanding pediatric health systems in the U.S.

Objective:

Wholesome Management was hired to facilitate the hospital’s Community Advisory Council (CAC) meetings. The scope of work later expanded to include consulting on the development of its first grant-making initiative.

Results:

Through effective facilitation and consulting, Children’s Minnesota saw an improvement in the process and function of their CAC meetings and a seamless creation and execution of their new grant-making process.

Introduction

Background

Children’s Minnesota is a hospital dedicated exclusively to pediatric care, serving the Minneapolis community. With its highly specialized care units, including a Level 4 NICU and a Level 1 pediatric trauma center, the hospital is one of the largest freestanding pediatric health systems in the United States.

Purpose

Children’s Minnesota sought the expertise of Wholesome Management to facilitate their Community Advisory Council (CAC) meetings. These meetings convene stakeholders and community voices from various backgrounds. The hospital wanted to ensure smooth collaboration by addressing any inherent power dynamics and to fully participate themselves.

Challenges

Initial Issues

The hospital initially facilitated its quarterly CAC sessions without external support. Recognizing the need to mitigate potential power dynamics—due to the hospital's convening role—and ensure more balanced engagement, the hospital sought out an experienced facilitator. The meetings had been productive but left room for improvement in structure, inclusivity, and decision-making.

Impact Sought

Children’s Minnesota aimed to enhance the effectiveness of the CAC by improving participant engagement, checking in with stakeholders on their needs, establishing clear agendas, and developing a robust decision-making framework. The initial request was for facilitation of quarterly meetings but soon expanded to include monthly sessions focusing on a new grant initiative the hospital was launching.

Solution

Approach

Wholesome Management, led by Corenia, embedded quickly into the CAC processes, making an immediate impact by facilitating meetings and consulting on the development of the grant program. Corenia’s role quickly shifted from strictly facilitation to a dual facilitation and consulting role, responding to the hospital’s evolving needs.

Implementation

Corenia led a series of one-on-one meetings with stakeholders to understand their needs and expectations. This was followed by designing and facilitating meetings where the focus was on creating decision-making structures, fostering collaboration, and ensuring all voices were heard.

Tools and Techniques Used

• Facilitation: Ensured balanced discussions, addressed power dynamics, and guided decision-making processes.

• Meeting Planning and Management: Developed clear agendas and meeting plans that enhanced productivity.

• Decision-Making Frameworks: Implemented processes to ensure fair and inclusive decision-making, which evolved over time to suit the group’s needs.

Results

The facilitation and consulting provided by Wholesome Management had an immediate positive impact on the CAC. Participants reported increased clarity in their roles, greater satisfaction with the meeting structure, and a heightened ability to collaborate.

• Participant Satisfaction: Feedback showed that participants felt more comfortable, engaged, and clear about their roles in the advisory council. Meetings ran more smoothly, and stakeholders were able to participate more fully in decision-making processes.

• Decision-Making Structure: A new framework was developed, which allowed for more effective decision-making. This included moving beyond consensus to explore other models that fit the needs of the group.

• Grant Program Development: Wholesome Management facilitated the development of the hospital’s first-ever grant-making process, from setting criteria for applications to overseeing the evaluation process. This involved creating forms, establishing evaluation criteria, and managing conflicts of interest.

Lessons Learned

• Balancing Facilitation and Consulting: A key takeaway from this project was learning when to draw the line between facilitation and consulting. Wholesome Management initially focused strictly on facilitation, but the needs of the client required a shift to consulting on process and strategy. This required clear communication about role boundaries and flexibility to meet the client’s evolving needs.

• Adaptability in Facilitation: Facilitating both quarterly and later monthly meetings highlighted the importance of flexibility in managing different cadences and formats. The ability to adjust to more frequent meetings while maintaining continuity was critical to the project’s success.

• Importance of Process: This project reaffirmed the value of process in meeting facilitation. Whether through one-on-one meetings or large group sessions, being intentional about each step ensured that the hospital’s objectives were met effectively and efficiently.

Conclusion

Wholesome Management’s work with Children’s Minnesota has greatly improved the structure and effectiveness of the CAC, while also successfully launching the hospital’s grant-making program. Through a combination of expert facilitation and strategic consulting, the project not only enhanced the decision-making processes but also deepened stakeholder engagement. The success of this project illustrates the power of thoughtful facilitation in creating productive, collaborative environments that meet both individual and organizational goals.