The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact

The chapter describes how groups develop extraordinarily strong bonds based on their shared meaning, i.e., feeling as part of a “we” rather than simply being a collection of individuals. The chapter begins with the story of Sonia Rhodes, a senior executive of Sharp HealthCare, who experienced a disconnect between the brand promise of Sharp Healthcare and her father’s actual patient experience: staff frequently did not introduce themselves, explain their roles, nor provide even the smallest gesture of warmth to patients and families.

A disconnect such as this one has emotional significance in the delivery of healthcare services. Relational mistakes in small moments can significantly affect the way care is perceived by patients and their families. A year after Rhodes’ father’s discharge from Sharp Healthcare, Rhodes and CEO Michael Murphy began to pursue a service transformation in order to study organizations that were successful in designing experiences, and ultimately determined that patient experience is dependent upon employee experience—people are unlikely to demonstrate consistent levels of empathy if their own environment is not supportive.

Sharp took the first step in converting this concept to reality by staging a significant “group moment,” referred to as an All-Staff Assembly, held at the San Diego Convention Center on October 18, 2001.