Entrepreneurial Mindset Healthcare is an international community of practice. Its members include entrepreneurs, who are using the mindset to found startups that create new healthcare products and services, and healthcare professionals, in public and not-for-profit organisations, who are using the mindset in their daily work and in the ongoing transformation of their organisations.
The Entrepreneurial Mindset Network has created an easy to understand, common sense and practical definition of the entrepreneurial mindset. It is quick to understand, easy to remember and of practical use in a diverse range of contexts. As an aid to memory, 1 essential entrepreneurial behaviour is allocated to each of the 7 letters in the word MINDSET.
Other definitions of the entrepreneurial mindset focus on skills. However, these definitions are often made up of generic business or transferable skills, and they fail to capture the distinct nature of entrepreneurship. Action, and therefore behaviour, is central to the concept of entrepreneurship. Skills are the abilities you have learned. Behaviour is the act of putting those skills to good use.
The advantage of our approach is that people can learn to change their behaviours and make good use of their existing knowledge and skills. People are often trainined in a range of skills that they may or may not use. We describe our 7 entrepreneurial behaviours as essential not optional. Essential behaviours challenge people to make full use of their skills.
Our proposition is that healthcare professionals often have the right skills, they just need to change their behaviours. Entrepreneurs and healthcare employees may work in very different contexts yet they possess similar skills. What distinguishes entrepreneurs from employees is how they behave, the way they apply those skills. Healthcare professionals can gain substantial benefits by adopting an entrepreneurial mindset.
The strategic devlopment of values-based healthcare
Using these 7 behaviours as a framework, the Network has created a draft set of aims for the strategic development of values-based healthcare. The aims provide the basis for further debate and an exploration of the processes by which these aims could be achieved in practice.
Aim to maintain a sustainable healthcare system which delivers the best the possible health outcomes and value for money.
Aim to meet the expectations of a diverse range of stakeholders and deliver equitable societal outcomes.
Aim to prevent chronic diseases (e.g. hypertension, diabetes) caused by lifestyle choices and socio-economic status.
Collect & analyse data (e.g. patient reported outcomes) to support clinical decision making, benchmarking & improvement.
Move towards a more user-centric approach in healthcare including the use of digital healthcare technologies.
Understand risk taking behaviours (e.g. lack of exercise) and the impact on chronic disease & healthy life expectancy.
Identify, monitor, reduce and eliminate health risks and determine interventions that will influence changes in behaviour.
Identify new opportunities that can only arise from taking calculated risks e.g. biotechnology and gene therapy.
Monitor intended outcomes and consequences, stopping risks before major problems occur; have a Plan B.
Embrace the opportunities offered by radical innovation as a necessary response to meeting existing and future real needs.
Take an entrepreneurial approach i.e. take ownership of problems, make a commitment to finding solutions and don’t sit back or wait.
Recognise change won’t happen just because it is a good idea, work to engage people, overcome inertia & anticipate the likely obstacles.
Focus on action not words, realism not wishful thinking, identify how to make change happen and the measures of success that matter.
Base plans on clear roles & responsibilities at every level, and seek engagement, inclusivity, accountability, outcomes and impacts.
Prioritise early interventions that are designed to help prevent chronic disease and to create a financially sustainable health system.
Exploit technological advances (medicine, devices & digitisation) and at the same time avoid unnecessary harm.
Continue to develop the collection, analysis, use and sharing of personal health records & data (inc. from wearable devices).
Support the life long learning of health professionals so that they can meet existing, changing and future needs.
Be open to new approaches to managing human resources including revising contracts, job descriptions & working practices.
Anticipate radical innovation that will build on, improve or replace the existing systems e.g. start ups and new entrants.
Engage citizens in a consideration of risks and educate them to make life style choices that improve their healthy life expectancy.
Champion the need for an holistic approach to citizen health and well-being based on a team-based and multi-agency approach.
Encourage communication between stakeholders & the sharing of best practices across the silos that exist in the healthcare system.
Inspire & motivate healthcare professionals to embrace the need for a change in mindset, behaviours and work practices.
Convince the indifferent, the doubters and critics with evidence of the benefits of incremental & significant change.
Aim for inclusivity and equality in healthcare access & outcomes (e.g independent of geographical location or socioeconomic status).
Try to tackle differences in life expectancy e.g. between Baltic region vs southern and central Europe (Men 10 & Women 7 years).
Work to resolve legitimate concerns about data privacy so that Artificial Intelligence can be used to help improve health outcomes.
Do not exploit healthcare professionals, ensure they are able to do their jobs, reward them appropriately & safeguard their well-being.
Take actions that will begin to reduce the environmental impact of healthcare (currently over 4% of the world’s climate emissions).
Work out how to manage costs, reduce wasteful expenditure, maximise value for money and make smarter use of resources.
Create data analyses that enable the robust evaluation of outcomes, benchmarking of performance and management of costs.
Re-evaluate established work methods, make professional choices to phase out ineffective practices & avoid chaotic change.
Revise contracts, job descriptions and benefits to maintain the availability of talented and motivated healthcare professionals.
Invest in digitisation and preventative measures that empower patients to actively manage their own health and well-being.
We aim to gather inspiring stories from the members of our international Network and share them on this website. You can read these stories and use them to stimulate refections on your own practice. You can also share your own story, bringing your lessons and experiences to the attention of healthcare professionals around the world.
Share your own story
We welcome articles, opinion pieces and interviews on any aspect of values-based healthcare, innovation and the entrepreneurial mindset. To discuss your idea, to get advice about preparing a draft story, to receive questions if you would prefer to be interviewed, or to submit your draft article for review and feedback, simply use the contact details below.
We aim to facilitate online conversations amongst an international community of healthcare professionals. We do this through regular webinars that create a safe space where people can be honest, open, reflective, questioning and innovative. From these conversations we document what works, formulate recommendations and co-create an agenda for change.
You can receive an email invitation to each of our future online webinars. Simply register to join the Entrepreneurial Mindset Network. It's very quick, easy and free to become a member. Press on the [Join] button at the top of the page and the short registration form will open in a new browser window.
You will have the option to add your membership to your LinkedIn profile; your welcome message will have the instructions that you need to follow.
One of our conversations is about how individuals, teams and organisations can become more innovative.
Here is a selection of recommendations for leaders to increase innovation:
Our webinars are an exclusive opportunity for our members to meet online and discuss examples of the entrepreneurial mindset in healthcare.
What sets our webinars apart, and adds extra value for participants, is the emphasis on interaction, the expert facilitation of an inclusive conversation and a shared respect for all contributions.
We publish summaries of all webinars, with an overview of key lessons and video clips of speakers.
A recurring theme in our discussions is how to get everything done with the available resources.
Here is a selection of recommendations to improve personal productivity:
Discussions around the entrepreneurial mindset in healthcare take into consideration Sustainable Development Goal 3, "To ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages", established in 2015 by the United Nations.
Paul Coyle is the Founder and Director of the Entrepreneurial Mindset Network, an international community of practice for the entrepreneurial mindset with members located in 107 countries worldwide.
Paul has been working with EIT Health, a ‘knowledge and innovation community’ (KIC) of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, since 2017, providing expert advice in support of a range of initiatives including the Campus call, Innovation fellowships, i-Days, Master programmes, the Entrepreneurship training and education call, and the Innostars education flagships pitching days.
Paul is connected on LinkedIn to healthcare professionals who are based in 58 countries and who are working in a range of industries including biotechnology research, hospitals and healthcare, medical equipment manufacturing, medical practice, mental health care, pharmaceutical manufacturing and wellness & fitness. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Oxford Entrepreneurs Network, a global network of entrepreneurs and investors who were educated at the University of Oxford.
We aim to provide learning and development that enables healthcare professionals to understand and apply the entrepreneurial mindset, in their daily work and their planning for the future. You will be inspired to discover how relevant the entrepreneurial mindset is to your work and how it can empower you. You can quickly understand what the mindset is and put it into practice.
Are you a learning and development manager?
We can help you to meet your L&D objectives by scheduling one of our Master Classes into your programme of L&D events.
We engage participants by helping them to quickly understand the entrepreneurial mindset and how they can use the mindset to meet real needs, innovate, act ethically, dare to take risks, improve productivity and take the inititaive.
To discuss how we can help you achieve your L&D objectives, reach out using the contact details shown in the panel at the end of this web page.
This Master Class demonstrates the relevance of the entrepreneurial mindset to the future of healthcare. It provides practical guidance to health professionals and leaders. All participants will be awarded a certificate and given instructions so that they can add their certificate, including a unique Credential ID and a list of skills, to their LinkedIn profile.
This website is published by the Entrepreneurial Mindset Network © 2023 all rights reserved.
Email: healthcare@entrepreneurial-mindset.network
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Mail: Entrepreneurial Mindset Network, 7 allées de Chartres, 33000 Bordeaux, France.
