Stars of Stanford Medicine

Rovina Suri, managing business partner of HR Services in the School of Medicine, is encouraging her colleagues to prepare for the move to the Stanford Redwood City (SRWC) campus by digitizing documents.

And while parting with paper is both efficient and green, Suri acknowledges the process takes time and effort, so planning ahead is key.

“For the past two years, all of us have known that our department will be moving and that when we do, space will be pretty tight,” she explains. “We started talking a while back about what we could do because we knew we wouldn’t have the space to bring all of our files with us.”

Suri stepped up to lead her team’s mission to purge, shred, and scan,  putting in place a process that pairs tasks and edible treats in combinations as creative as the initiative itself. With titles like tart-up and toss it, sandwiches and scanning, and pizza and packing, the events pave a gastronomic path to going paperless.

For Suri, it just makes sense. “The move is for real; it’s going to happen. So let’s start doing what we need to do to get ready,” she explains. And why not make it enjoyable, she asks, adding, “we don’t have to approach this as mundane, boring work – let’s add some fun to it.”

While the concept is light-hearted, the work behind it is serious. Suri began by breaking down the project into actionable steps. She then set up a series of team meetings – held monthly on a Friday afternoon – to put a consistent time on everyone’s calendar dedicated to preparing for the move and sharing updates.

Rovina is always looking for innovative ways to make sure her colleagues are energized by the opportunities the SRWC campus presents.

Suri’s work inspires her team to move forward and embrace positive change. “Rovina is always looking for innovative ways to make sure her colleagues are energized by the opportunities the SRWC campus presents,” says Susan Hoerger, deputy director of HR Compliance, “especially those that also coincide with her interest in moving all of us towards being even more ‘green.’”

And now that the effort is well underway, Suri says people are getting more excited about the benefits of going digital. After all, electronic files not only take less space, they also make it easier to telecommute because documents can be accessed from anywhere and everywhere.

Suri’s efforts to engage and prepare employees for the transition to the new campus extends beyond her own department. Along with Promila Rastogi, director of transformative initiatives,  she serves on the SRWC Change Management Committee as a contact and liaison for medical school employees.

Suri’s energy, innovation, and commitment to the change committee have made a huge difference, says Rastogi, noting that Suri was the person who planted the seed for the SRWC Resource Fair, a hugely successful event held on November 7. “Not only has Rovina done a tremendous amount of work to get her team ready, she’s helping ensure the move goes smoothly for everyone,” said Rastogi.

Suri describes her involvement on the committee as a "collaborative process" that has broadened her perspective on the move. While she understands that change can be difficult, she believes the University is trying to do everything it can to make the new campus feel like a home away from home.

"We’re all in it together, brainstorming for ways to make the move as seamless as possible. We’re going to do whatever we can to make this move successful," said Suri. "Redwood City is going to be a beautiful campus. I’m very hopeful that the new campus will have a nice strong vibe to it and that we’ll have the opportunity to put together some very fun events.”

Story by Jan Morrill.