Perspectives on Organizational Culture in Healthcare

Over the past 30 years, the term organizational culture has gained prominence and have stimulated plenty of interest. Theories have been developed, definitions abound and debates have spurred. Today we still talk about how (and if) one can change organizational culture.  

And “whether managers think that the culture is too soft or too complicated to bother about or whether there is no unique corporate culture does not reduce the significance of culture” (Alvesson, 2002).

“Culture isn’t everything” says a title that caught my eye. The article mentions that even though it's difficult, culture is something that can be enforced. One of two perspectives on organizational culture developed by Smircich (1983) - "culture as a variable"- implies that culture is something the organization "HAS". In essence, it implies that organizational culture needs to be viewed as a tool for enhancing organizational effectiveness. Hence, the existence of "strong culture organizations" that are highly effective (Google, Southwest Airlines, Nordstrom, Westjet).

What is Your Story?

Today concludes Patient and Family Centered Care Week (#PFCC2015). It was a week full of great events, webinars and presentations interlacing storytelling about how we care with how we learn from patients. Meetings started with people sharing patient stories, and everyone seemed to beat faster to the heart of our ultimate purpose: to care for our patients.

My story? As an operating room nurse, I cared for people in vulnerable moments. Surgeries are highly stressful for all patients, and one of my main goal was not only to care, but advocate for the patient while he/ she was unable to do so. You might say "we all advocate for our patients". But how do we do it? For me, it is a no-brainer: patient IS and always WILL come first. In the operating room environment, that can be challenging at times. It is a work environment with a strong culture and even bigger egos. If you are a novice nurse, that can be very intimidating - how would you speak up to a surgeon, demand the whole surgical team to stop and listen to a "Safe Surgical Checklist", or even refuse to proceed if your think the patient is unsafe? For me, it was always there, at the back of my mind: just like you would not accept any act of unsafe care on a loved one, you don't accept it for any patient.

Sometimes, it takes a small act of rebellion to stand up and talk for your patient. And as any act of rebellion, it stems from a strong desire to respect your own values. It is timely that we remember to stand up for our patients and for the families and share these stories. And this - this is my story.

#WhatsYourStory ?

Coalitions in Healthcare: The Super Power of Pathways

"…then a nurse was telling me how they encountered a problem and how they fixed it…and I said 'No! Don’t do that way!'"* 

These are the words of Paul Levy, former CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston. His leadership style during the restructuring of BIDMC is studied in organizational behavior courses in postgraduate schools to illustrate decision-making and change management skills. But why would he be against local, grass-root level implementation of changes?

Don't Just Stand There: Finding Creativity in Meetings

 There is a saying that goes: 'If you want to kill an idea, bring it to a meeting'. Or, 'if you are lonely, call a meeting'. Meetings in hierarchical healthcare organizations seem to follow a dull and counter-intuitive format: a waste of printed copies of 'meeting minutes', asking people to vote on the previous meeting agenda they most likely do not remember and the un-healthy snacks provided. Too many meetings are poorly organized, are bad for the morale and bad for productivity. Plus, they cost money.

Caregiver Becomes Patient: 3 Arguments for QI

I consider myself lucky. Until lately, I did not need any surgeries or extensive medical care. But this suddenly changed and I had my first experience as a patient. I joked that I wanted to actually see first hand how the healthcare system works…but my smile was tentative and my apprehension surpassed my curiosity. Now, after being at the receiving end of medical care, I would like to ask my healthcare colleagues: 

Are you able - and willing - to better your care for the patient?

Your Input Matters: Improving Opinion Surveys

If you work in an organization - any organization - you probably received periodical emails with links to opinion surveys. The email message would say something like "your opinion is valued" or "your input matters" and kindly asks you to take few minutes of your day to complete a survey. So what do you do? Click on the survey link? Postpone to action on it? Or simply ignore- or even delete the email?

Learning to Change

How do you feel about learning? 

Do you remember your school years as an exciting time, or do you just recall exam anxiety? 

Whatever the answer, it is OK. 

A recent presentation on adult learning on #rebeljam15 started with "Have an open mind". As adult learners, we might be conditioned by past behaviours but we can also approach learning in a novel, productive way (if we choose to). That is because the learning science also followed an incredible evolution and has become accessible, fun and rewarding, and more than ever- necessary.

There is no question about why we need to be life long learners (LLL). Here are some of the many benefits of LLL: