In the Spotlight: Cedars-Sinai Medical Network on Staging

As we move into the theme of LIVING and the principle of Staging, we immediately thought of our Lab Partners at Cedars-Sinai Medical Network (CSMN) as Staging exemplars. Cedars-Sinai Medical Network embodies the idea that each and every element of our Experience matters and the energy and actions we bring into the spotlight are what make each Moment memorable. 

We are excited to share with you, a conversation with Dr. John Jenrette, Executive Vice President of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Network, on the principle of Staging. 

What does the principle of Staging mean to you at your organization?

Staging is the fulcrum and keystone of the Experience work we are doing at Cedars-Sinai Medical Network. If you think of the ‘progression of economic value,’ from Pine and Gilmore’s The Experience Economy, we are moving as an industry from delivering services to Staging Experiences, where Staging is the actionable step we take to bring our Experience designs to life. Staging is about creating the right platform for the Experience to take place – where everything comes together.

When I think of Staging in our Experience work, it begins with our design process. We start with setting an Intention, then LOOKING at our Experience – we are Noticing every detail and Perspective Shifting to think through each audience we are designing for. When we put ourselves in that space we begin to see opportunities where we can design Personalized elements, ‘wow’ Experiences, and distinctive touchpoints where magic Moments can come to life for our team members, providers, patients, and guests.

How have you applied the principle of Staging to your work and your organization’s Experience journey?

At Cedars, we think about opportunities to Stage Experiences both at the organizational and the personal level. For our organization, one opportunity we have to Stage an Experience on a grand scale is our All-Hands Assembly. Our entire organization comes together for a half-day Experience designed to align to our vision and Intention, energize our teams, create a common language, and reconnect us all with ‘the why’ of our work. Every detail and element of that gathering is Intentionally designed and Staged to create memorable Moments for our team members and providers so they are prepared to create memories for our patients and guests. 

At an individual level, we have been working to transform how we Stage the new hire Experience at CSMN. One recent opportunity we had to Stage a new kind of welcome Experience was with the onboarding of one of our medical directors. We designed the Experience to anticipate his every need from day one – making sure his work place was ready when he arrived – his phone was working, email was up and running, his desktop was set up, and we had technical team members as part of the welcome to get everything synced. We also Personalized elements to Stage a truly memorable Experience for him: he had a welcome sign at his parking space, a signed note from the entire board of directors on his desk, and a bouquet of his favorite flowers on the window sill of his office. That was all part of Staging a welcome Experience so that he could not only walk in and hit the ground running but also feel like we had been expecting him.

Do you have any advice for lab partners who are trying to Stage a different kind of Experience? 

If there is a part of your Experience that could be Staged differently, it is important to gather a design team that can think outside the box. Start with the Intention of the Experience – how you want people to feel – and then ideate and design elements that bring that Experience to life. In the end, when you Stage an Experience, you should be making people feel more human. Therefore, consider how you can bring that humanity to life in this space or with this process? How do you make the feeling you want to impart, real?