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Culture Change: Difficult but Necessary
By Diane Peters, RN, NHA, MS
Winter 2007 |
What does organizational culture and culture change really mean?
An organization is created when people and resources come together to form a
unit. Culture is the shared values and beliefs held by the members of
the organization. An organization's culture creates distinctions,
conveys a sense of identity, facilitates commitment, provides social glue
and provides informal control.
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Culture change has been one of the latest “buzz words” among senior care provider for which there are many meanings. For some “culture change” may mean adding flora and fauna into facility, for others it may mean a “spa bathing program” or having a five meal dining program and for many assisted living organizations it is “what we have always done.” |
The current climate and culture in the majority of organizations caring for seniors is based on an antiquated institutional model of care delivery.
One of that is often steeped in organizational beliefs and practices that
value effectiveness and efficiencies of operations, aims to meet the minimal
standards of quality as defined by government regulations, and focused on
compliance of seniors and workers to standards of care and work practices
established by managers and clinical leaders.
America's seniors are growing in number at the same time that the health
care work force is shrinking. Quality of care, services and work place
are being defined in different terms by the seniors in need of services and
the workers providing care. The current models of care and work place
practices and the institutional environments do not meet the standards and
expectations of today's internal and external consumers.
We are challenged as leaders and managers to critically evaluate our beliefs,
values and care and work place practices and begin to view the climates and cultures
of our organizations through the eyes of our consumers. As leaders we must begin to
understand the principles and values embedded in the climate and culture of learning
organizations and be able to apply the science and practices of total quality management.
Leaders and managers are also faced with understanding and applying both the science and the psychology
of change and learning new skills to guide and facilitate organizational evolution or “culture change”.
There is no easy answer – no one program or change that will be the answer – “culture change” is an
evolutionary PROCESS of organizational development that begins with and is guided by the leaders and
managers in the organization. Some experts say this is the MOST IMPORTANT responsibility of the organization’s
leadership team.
Change is hard, especially when we need to change the values and beliefs that we have and the operational
methods have been taught and are comfortable with, and yet development is essential for successful
leadership and management in our changing societal climate and culture.
The good news: – there is a large body of research on leadership approaches as well as specific evidence
based work place, care, and environmental practices that are available to guide and assist organizational
leaders through the process of organizational growth, development and evolution.
Pathway Health Services has developed tools, resources and organizational development consultants that can
assist you in identifying and addressing the needs and services of your internal and external customers, and
work with you to develop leadership at all levels and throughout the organization. Pathway consultants work as
facilitators to aid you engaging employee involvement throughout the process, maintain a systems orientation and
continual learning focus to the process that is based in the science of continuous organizational development and
quality improvement.
Diane Peters, RN, NHA, MS, Director of Leadership and Quality
Initiatives |
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