27/10/2021 Cooperation and receptiveness keys to success
Victor Triantafyllidis is Operations Manager for Service & Logistics at Capio St. Göran Hospital, encompassing cleaning, care-related services, patient service, purchasing, medical equipment and facilities management. His previous career was primarily in the hotel sector, most recently as Managing Director of Clarion Hotel Stockholm. It was curiosity about a new sector that finally led him to a management role in healthcare.
“I wanted to try something new and could see similarities between the hotel and healthcare sectors. The job centres on service-mindedness with personnel-intensive tasks and functions. From a leadership perspective it’s about motivating staff to work together in the best interests of the guests or patients,” Victor explains.
Broadly speaking, Victor’s job is about getting service and support to the clinics in order to facilitate and streamline their operations, and providing support in their day-to-day work. He is also part of a project group working with the regional council to build and develop new healthcare buildings within Capio St. Göran Hospital. This is where he sees one of the great challenges for the healthcare sector: how buildings and premises can support and promote the operation’s development.
“Success requires collaboration, teamwork and receptiveness, but also the courage to challenge old truths and suggest alternative solutions. In some ways the healthcare sector is quite conservative, but there are also many aspects and people that are very open to change and progress. And the past 18 months have certainly made a difference: change comes more easily now after a tumultuous time of rapid shifts,” says Victor.
Victor enjoys his job, especially working with different kinds of people and roles within the organisation. Everyone is there for the same purpose: to provide healthcare with the patient in focus. And Victor is convinced that having a broad spectrum of perspectives is key to keeping an eye on the big picture.
“I find it quite common for large organisations to think that a single profession or person has all the answers or the right solution. But there are always different circumstances and relationships to consider. A good answer is rarely unequivocal. I always recommend gaining an overall perspective by listening to everyone involved in or affected by a development,” says Victor.
The importance of collaborating across operational boundaries is something Victor feels has become even clearer during the pandemic. People need each other to cope with this kind of challenge, and this has helped to make Service & Logistics a more integrated aspect of healthcare.
“Our service area became important during the early days when we didn’t have enough PPE. It helped people realise how important it is to have well-planned logistical flows, and our work is now a more integral part of the operation. And within our own work area, we have discovered potentials for development in both service and logistics,” Victor explains.
Healthcare is facing major changes and challenges, digitalisation is fully under way and new players are entering the market. People are also increasingly getting older, there’s a shortage of healthcare staff and costs are rising. These are major social issues that need to be addressed and require all kinds of actions and initiatives.
“We have an exciting future ahead in how we deal with these challenges and opportunities, both generally and specifically. We need to have the courage to look ahead, to challenge existing work methods and dare to try new things. And ultimately to realise it doesn’t all have to happen in one go, even small steps can take us in the right direction,” Victor concludes.
