3 Ways to Improve Healthcare Corporate Culture

How do the people who work from evening until morning – the graveyard shift – work in this unusual environment? In hospitals, the lights get dimmed for patient comfort, the number of staff is pared down to a minimum, and the buzzing energy of the daytime decreases to a gentle hum. Even human interactions are diminished because of noise considerations.

During this time of muted of interactions, I recently witnessed an encounter between two hospital staff members that illustrated to me the importance of organizational culture.

“Without you, this floor don’t shine!” exclaimed the twenty-year-old patient transporter to the veteran custodian who was busily buffing the floor.

This comment from the younger man directed to the more experienced member of the housekeeping team put a smile on my face when I least expected it. My mind was drawn from the selfish complaints of how I was missing a few precious winks in the call room to how I am part of a bigger team.

From a management standpoint, it was an example of a desirable behavior that was a result of a good corporate culture. There are a few things that every organization can do to develop this type of culture.

Importance of Corporate Culture

Organizational Culture is the shared values by members of an organization with regard to the function and objectives of their organization. At hospitals and other healthcare organizations, values are typically focused on safety and caring for the patient.

At Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, patients and visitors frequently remark that the staff are the “nicest people they have ever met.” This comment reflects the pleasant behaviors of everyone they encounter in the hospital. I have observed first-hand how leadership promotes the company’s values to develop the culture and encourages this pleasantness.

The Houston Methodist system garners perennial recognition on Forbes’ “100 Best Companies to Work For” list and is highly rated by their own employees – 88% of Methodist employees say “their workplace is great.” While some might suggest this success is dependent on the underlying culture of the area, the system earns these high marks while covering and area that includes the “single most ethnically diverse county in the nation.”

Undoubtedly, this culture is created and maintained with significant effort by the system leadership. Anyone who has been in the hospital even a brief amount of time knows the values of the Houston Methodist system: Integrity, Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence. These values aren’t just for the boardroom – and the quality of the patient experience at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital is a testament to the buy-in of each member of the team from the bottom to the top.

While I’m not privy to the “secret sauce” of how this system achieves such success, I can share the following ideas of what any organization can do to improve organizational culture.

1) Hire the Right People

Bring the right people on board; target employees who demonstrate desired behaviors.

Companies should integrate their culture into their human resources strategy. Hiring the right people from the start is a good way to build a strong culture. Discussion of values early in the process verifies alignment with the corporate strategy and clearly sets the tone for the employee’s further integration.

2) Teach the Right Way

Teach employees the desired way of thinking and feeling about common issues and they will learn to apply them within solutions to new problems.

The values of the organization should be prominent and well-known touchstones to everyone in the organization. Building annual events around core values is a vital part of a strategy to build a better culture. But, don’t miss the chance to mention values in day-to-day meetings or hallway encounters either. These are also great opportunities to build the desired ethos.

3) Promote the Right Role Models

Identify role models and encourage employees to adopt their values and beliefs.

Exemplary employees are not limited to management. The kindness of the door greeter, the pleasantness and caring attitude of a telephone operator, or the persistence of a housekeeper who won’t leave the room until everything is “just right” can vastly influence a customer’s perception of your organization. Find methods to identify and recognize these key personnel so other employees will be aware of desirable behaviors and the set of values which are linked to them.

Culture Matters

Organizational culture is perceptible to anyone who visits a business. Some businesses are able to maintain a distinction between the “front of the house” and “back of the house” by keeping administrative functions hidden from the service interfaces. But in the hospital setting, few locations are protected from visitors’ view. Since patient-satisfaction scores now drive reimbursement every little action counts. A better organizational culture can help reap great benefits.

Clever Cupcakes – Doctor Themed Cupcakes – via flickr – CC BY 2.0

Healthcare organizations shouldn’t be satisfied with changing the behavior of their employees. Most hospitals are the workplace of independent physicians, allied health professionals, and vendors as well. Influencing their attitudes and behaviors can create a synergy beyond the direct corporate culture. This effect is exactly what I experienced in the middle of a relatively unpleasant call shift.

The strong corporate culture at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital exists because the core values promoted by the system are intensely held and widely shared. Personnel there ARE noticeably “nicer” – even when they are working at an odd hour of the night.

Pleasant words between two hospital personnel helped change my attitude in the middle of a pretty long night. This is the impact of a good corporate culture. The young man’s words still resonate with me in this paraphrased manner:

“Without good people, this hospital don’t shine!”