|	Consensus Building or Bulldozing?
|	Innovating for Organizational Success

|	Simple Steps to Making Better Decisions

|	HIPAA:  A Doctor's Perspective

|	Regional Internship Center

As the President and CEO of The Hill Group, Inc., I'm happy to report that I've not turned 50 yet. However, 2003 marks the 50^th anniversary of THE HILL GROUP! 

And now for a brief history of The Hill Group, Inc.... In 1953, George M. Hill founded Hill Associates. As an industrial psychology guru, Mr. Hill focused his energy on a number of critical areas, fundamental to organizational success.

Chris W. Brussalis
President & CEO

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Consensus Building or Bulldozing?

By Alyson Getty Cole, Consultant

"War with Iraq" -- "Investors Demand an Answer" --"Freeway to cut through Main Street" - "New tax plan sparks debate"-"Decision made to tear down landmark"

If you've read the front pages recently, chances are you have probably seen similar headlines. It's no surprise that these messages reach us. After all, conflict sells. We all like a good fight, right? People seem to thrive on such discord, expect it almost, and the media delivers. 

Americans aren't naive to discontent. The country was built on it. Our very freedom was a fight and continues to be. Our social constructs dictate choosing sides. Often the battle lines are drawn before we are consulted. It becomes simply a matter of choice. More often than not, we rally around "the good guys' side", yet in some cases, figuring out which side is holding that position may be harder than we thought. We may also steer to the side in which we see greater personal benefits or perhaps a decision might be made on personal values or principal. No matter which criterion utilized in the process it comes down to one choice.

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Innovating for Organizational Success

I'm not feeling very creative today. I know these words have never crossed your lips or thoughts, but for many, creativity can be difficult. We hear of "creative types"; artists, musicians, and poets. In the world of business, the same "creative types" can be found in marketing, web design, and training. However, the question arises, is creativity an innate ability or a learned skill?

Now, I'm always up for the nature versus nurture game, but for now, let's focus on the key issue of creativity. Creativity exists when new ideas, initiatives, and approaches are generated to solve problems. This process can occur incrementally or all at once, depending upon circumstances related to the internal and external environment of an organization. The guru of organizational management, our good friend, Peter Drucker, has outlined a number of key components of nurturing a creative spirit or in this case - innovation. So, pull a chair up, put the fire on, and listen up...

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Simple Steps to Making Better Decisions

By Matt Stanczak, Consultant

Making decisions is a basic life skill for all people. Whether you are a corporate CEO, surgeon, or stay-at-home dad, we all have to make decisions to make it through our daily routines. Most of us don't enjoy making decisions. Often our decision making is stressful and full of uncertainty. When it comes down to it, we cannot predict the outcome of our decisions. Some of our best-planned decisions might not turn out how we anticipate and, conversely, our poorest decisions sometimes work out to our benefit. While we cannot predict the outcomes of our decisions, structuring our decision-making process will allow us more control over the outcomes of our choices. In other words, a good decision maker is judged not on what he decides, but on how he decides.

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HIPAA:  A Doctor's Perspective

By Timothy N. Kavic, M.D., M.S., Vice President, Healthcare Services

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, has been a law since 1996. It promises to be the new paradigm in health care delivery in our country. This law has received increasing attention, especially from software vendors, lawyers, and others who might benefit from its implementation. However, not much attention has been directed to it by health care providers.

Why are physicians so "nonplussed" about HIPAA? There are several possible answers. It is human nature to put off a deadline until the last possible minute, whether it is studying for a final exam, doing a displeasing task, or preparing for HIPAA in the case of physicians. Another possible explanation could be that this is just another unwanted government regulation added to an already heavy load of obstacles confronting physicians today.

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Regional Internship Center

The Hill Group, Inc. is proud to announce the Community Corner, a new newsletter feature. This section has been designed to feature community organizations and activities, which The Hill Group supports in our region. 

NEED INTERNS?

THE ANSWER: THE REGIONAL INTERNSHIP CENTER OF SWPA

The Regional Internship Center of Southwestern PA (RIC), www.ric-swpa.org, has been created through a partnership of the Coro Center for Civic Leadership and the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board to create a more effective connection between college students and employers throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. Their goal is to attract and retain young talent by increasing the number of internships offered in our region. The RIC actively works with employers, assists them in developing internship programs, and connects them to potential interns and regional colleges and universities. All services provided by the RIC are FREE to students and employers, which include but are not limited to the following:

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