Pharma Reform

One of the most frustrating job situations is when you know the organization is doing something wrong (perhaps even illegal) or you know there is a better way of doing something.  You feel there is a need for change but your management (and company leadership) seems indifferent, is on a completely different page (they really believe it is okay), or is stuck in a safe traditional way of doing things.

Why is it so difficult to stop wrong doing or make a change at a big pharmaceutical company? I’m sure there are company specific reasons but here are some that are likely at many companies.

First , organizations have safeguards built in so that everybody who happens to have an idea doesn’t just run off and do their own thing or execute something that may or may not be in the organization’s best interest.   Process, however, is usually not the reason employees don’t or can’t affect change as much as they might.

Probably the single biggest reason is risk.  The risk is high for low level employees and even senior management, at times.  First your reputation is at stake. You risk being ridiculed by your manager, being chastised and ostracized by your peers, maybe even humiliated in front of your peers.  You risk job security, career growth, and your compensation might suffer as a result of identifying a problem or trying to encourage changing to a better way of doing things.

If the risks are not real enough, the fear that the risks can harbor are often enough to keep employees from stepping up to identify problems and make suggestions for change. If you think I am being to negative and unrealistic, just do a review of some of the litigation cases against pharmaceutical companies and tell me how the whistleblower or anybody else, besides executives, might have been able to intervene or affect change without these risks.  In many cases they and others  did try to intervene and make a change, but obviously they often did not succeed until they went to court.

Why is this important in the context of healthcare reform and the need for change in the pharmaceutical industry? Because, change and knowing how and what to change often lies within the organization, and not necessarily at the top of the organization.

The solution may sound idealistic but in reality the only way to resolve this is for management to make sure you have competent people with integrity in your organization.  This increases the probability that the problems identified are real and the suggestions for change are worth consideration.  These employees need a management culture that encourages open communication that minimizes personal risk when identifying problems and suggesting change.

Employees in this type environment have a higher probability of affecting change and the organization can better leverages the talent they have working for them.    We’ll discuss how employees can be more effective at pointing out problems and affecting change in the next post.

mike@pharmareform.com