Recently, I was asked for some advice from a senior manager in an acute healthcare setting and the topic of organisational values and culture arose.
A common feature within larger organisations or companies is the lack of connectivity between departments. Each one busy carrying out different varied tasks with an apparent disconnect from other parts of the system or organisational culture.
Take a large acute healthcare setting as an example. Administrative staff working in an admissions department working quite separately with their own priorities from those medical staff working on the ward. Again, those working within the MRI department with a very different remit to those in phlebotomy.
From the healthcare settings perspective this can lead to inefficiencies with unnecessary duplication, poor communication and lack of accountability. The result for the end user, in this case, an individual patient, can be equally negative with delays in procedures and poor health outcomes. From a staffing perspective it may lead to low morale, high turnover and general disillusionment.
Despite the fact that each department within a healthcare setting does indeed have a different function, the underpinning values that inform their work should be the same.
For example, in most modern acute healthcare settings today, ‘patient centred care’ is at the very core of their value base.
Each component of that setting, every single department, needs to understand how their individual and collective roles contribute to that of the overall person-centred patient experience.
At an individual level, each and every employee plays their part, from the person delivering meals knowing the specific allergies and dietary preferences of the individual patient to each healthcare professional explaining each specific procedure to the patient in a manner that the person, regardless of age or nationality can easily comprehend.
From the moment that individual person comes through the front door of the acute healthcare setting and is admitted as a patient; to their placement on a ward; their MRI scan procedure through to receiving their results, the taking of bloods and to the point of discharge, there is a commitment to excellence from each professional that they come into contact with, a commitment to true ‘patient centred’ care.
It is of course not only acute healthcare settings that these principals apply. Whether as a Start-up, SME or global corporate organisation; whether it is in hospitality, manufacturing, IT or customer services, a workplace culture that understands the collective core values and how each individual employee, each team, department and each region contributes is essential.
Once these are clearly understood, the ability for connectivity and synchronicity is more achievable and the end user whether that is a patient, client or customer will have a more ‘person centred’ impactful experience.
create10 works with organisations and companies across all sectors and industries in developing healthy workplace culture and clearly understood values. See www.create10.ie for further information