Dr. Atul
Gawande, Surgeon at the Harvard Medical School and writer for New
York Times, says “We are specialists now, even the primary care
physicians. Everyone just has a piece of the care. But holding onto that
structure we built around the daring, independence, self sufficiency of each of
those people has become a disaster. We
have trained, hired and rewarded people to be cowboys. But its pit crews that
we need, pit crews for patients".
https://www.ted.com/talks/atul_gawande_how_do_we_heal_medicine
So what do we mean by pit crews and cowboys relatively?
Pit crews, by their definition, are highly trained, highly selected
individuals that work on a
specially formulated race car that would be the envy of any race car
enthusiast. These professionals understand the very real value of working as a team: so their particular race car can
complete a certain number of laps around a single racetrack in the
shortest amount of time. Pit crew members, then, are highly committed to
working faster and faster while streamlining their processes. They
have an intimate working
knowledge of their highly
specialized race car; they know each lug nut, each brake pad, and each tiny
screw down to its finest detail.
Cowboys are experts in their own area, free to roam, to
place themselves wherever they are needed, even if it’s in the most remote
region of the land. They are not
bound to a single track or the big city. They are not governed by anyone. They take the call as per
their wishes which could be crossing a few lines in the interest of their
values.
Translate this to Education and what do we have
today?
Education is a dynamic process. People need to adapt to the changing times. Schools have attempted to transform to keep up with the increasing technology, knowledge explosion, transient values and global needs.
In the past decade or so we have seen a steep rise in specific subject
experts and visiting faculty in schools. They come at a steep
price, offer their expert services, guarantee results and move out when their
work is complete. Their work is efficient but asks them how the students are
faring overall? Do they have intimate knowledge of the working of the school?
Do they collaborate and coordinate with their colleagues? Ask them their
contribution to the curriculum mapping process as a team? Ask them to give
extra time for social work without pay?
Today Principals are wary of ruffling their feathers as they
move on to a new institution immediately without remorse. So they are treated
like egg shells, very delicately.
When you look at this holistically, have these experts
contributed to the education system as a whole? Are they concerned of their
student's academic identity? Have they collaborated with the other teams? Are
they concerned with the past and future academic classes of the students? Are
they part of the value building system we need so desperately today? Are
they concerned with building STEM skills or 21st century skills of students?
Today, In education we need strong strategic improvement
plans to create 21st century skills, global values and attitudes in students,
we need dedicated teams creating and executing these plans diligently using
strong tools like logic model and AAR [After action reports]. we need strong
monitoring systems and people willing to demonstrate responsibility,
accountability and ownership.
The concerns and work demanded is huge and we need all
stakeholders to contribute wholeheartedly.
Finally, I ask you "What do we need more today"?
Cowboys or pit crews? Please send your feedback.
Bibliography:
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/cowboys-and-pit-crews
- Atul Gawande
MED PAGE today - Dr. Wes Fisher, M.D September 05, 2012
