CONNECTORx CORNERx: 022 - 2024-02-27

Pharmacy Strategy & Career Development Newsletter: Autonomous Pharmacy, Cultivate Innovation, and Decision Fatigue

PHARMACY STRATEGY: Autonomous Pharmacy

We have had many advancements in technology to support pharmacy practice, but the technology has not cohesively supported data driven automation.

A group came together to envision what the future could be.

The Autonomous Pharmacy Framework assists in developing comprehensive strategies to advance pharmacy practice.

Its main purpose is twofold.

1. provides pharmacy stakeholders with a clear vision of a fully autonomous pharmacy that is achievable with data-driven automation
2. offers a foundation for health systems to create specific strategies to advance pharmacy practice using automation while measuring their progress

The 5 components of the Autonomous Pharmacy Framework. The Autonomous Pharmacy Framework has 5 major components, spanning the organizational, technological, and human capabilities of a pharmacy enterprise. They are as follows: Enterprise Structure, Information Technology (IT) Infrastructure, Automation, Data Intelligence, and Human Activity 

Read more Autonomous Pharmacy 

CAREER DEVELOPMENT: Cultivate Innovation

Do you believe you can cultivate innovation?  How we create new and better ways for our organization to be successful.  I think this year has taught us that we can be more innovative when pushed to think differently.

Let's explore the what and how of cultivating innovation as this is a priority competency for pharmovation.

I love using the Korn Ferry FYI - For Your Improvement resources to support your professional development self-assessment and action plan. They provide key insight and ideas around core competencies.

Cultivate Innovation:

• Skilled 
• Comes up with useful ideas that are new, better, or unique. 
• Introduces new ways of looking at problems. 
• Can take a creative idea and put it into practice. 
• Encourages diverse thinking to promote and nurture innovation. 
• Less skilled 
• Stays within comfort zone rather than experimenting with new ways of looking at things. 
• Presents ideas that are ordinary, conventional, and from the past. 
• Tends to be critical of others’ original ideas. 
• Has a style that discourages the creative initiatives of others. 
• Talented 
• Moves beyond traditional ways of doing things; pushes past the status quo. 
• Continually assesses the market potential of an innovative idea or solution. 
• Finds and champions the best creative ideas and actively moves them into implementation. 
• Tries multiple, varied approaches to innovative ideas. 
• Builds excitement in others to explore creative options. 
• Possible Causes of Lower Skill
• Cautious; risk averse. 
• Not open to new ideas. 
• Narrow perspective. 
• Lacks knowledge about process. 
• Doesn’t value innovation. 

 - TIPS TO DEVELOP CULTIVATE INNOVATION

1. Wonder what role you can play? Innovation takes a village
2. Desire to enhance group creativity? Diversify
3. Don’t perceive yourself to be creative? Remove the restraints
4. Lack a climate conducive to innovation? Take the lead

Lombardo MM, Eichinger RW. FYI: For Your Improvement: A Guide for Development and Coaching. 5th ed. Lominger International; 2009.

FUN & JOY: Decision Fatigue

You may be aware of decision fatigue, but most people are unaware of this phenomenon, how it affects them and most importantly how to avoid it.

Have you experienced?

   Being tired at the end of the day.  Probably all of us have

   Making poor decisions later in the day (lack of willpower, bought something you did not plan to)

I definitely have and I'll share why you should pay attention to this as part of your growth and productivity planning?

What's Decision Fatigue?

People make worse decisions after making a lot of decisions.  Yes, it's true research shows the simple act of making decisions degrades the ability to make further decisions

Former President Obama -  "managing your life as a president requires that you cut away the mundane, frustrating decisions"

Think about where you are making decisions:

 From the time you wake up - deciding

 Whether to exercise

 what to wear, 

 what to eat

 What to do I have to do today

 Should I speak up at the meeting

 What to do with that email (all those emails) * this is my biggest pain point

 Decisions are really non-stop

Fatigue:  It differs from the usual physical fatigue and can often go unrecognized, but is being low on mental energy.  Think about it- most of us can feel exhausted at the end of the day, but we probably did not do a lot of physical activity.   I have heard it also called cognitive depletion. It can lead to a feeling of overwhelm and mental exhaustion. 

Poor Decisions:

There are many examples of poor decisions caused by lack of willpower due to decision fatigue.  Such as eating the potato chips late at night,  buying the extras at the car dealership.

Action Plan - Steps to prevent Decision Fatigue:

Overall Goal - reduce  or automate decisions 

1. Eliminate Decisions
2. Plan Ahead
3. Automate
4. Decision Making Strategy

Do you think you suffer from decision fatigue?  If so, in what areas. 

For more tips, read more at Connector Life Blog

SUPPORT AND RESOURCES:

I am here to support you in your journey to advance pharmacy and accelerate your joyful engaging career.  Schedule time for us to connect.  

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