Organizational culture is important for every healthcare organization. Organizational culture consists of various components including shared values, attitudes, meanings, norms governing work behavior, practices, behaviors, rituals, stories, attitudes, etc.
Formalization of organizational culture is important, but alignment between organizational values and persobal values of all the employees is even more important. Organizational culture has a huge impact on organization’s ability to manage human resource and provide quality care to its patients (Wooten, Crane, 2003). According to various studies, there’s strong relations between organizational cultural values and norms and employees’ satisfaction, turnover intentions, knowledge sharing commitment (Tsai, 2011).
Nurses’ motivation to meet organizational goals is strongly related to their perception that the organization's cultural values are shared by all the organization members (Wallace, 1996). Constructive organizational cultures mean positive interaction and cooperation with colleagues as well as working approach helping employees to self-actualize and to reach organizational goals. It will lead to enhancing employees’ job satisfaction and also increasing patients’ satisfaction (Cooke & Rousseau, 1988).
Successful implementation of constructive relationship and caring culture within an organization results in higher patient satisfaction, lower nursing staff turnover rates, growing nurses’ engagement, continuity of experience and better clinical outcomes.
Cultural aspects are important in relationship between community, healthcare organizations and nurses. Firstly, nurses who have good personal values about aspects of quality healthcare will naturally demonstrate working behaviors attributive to quality healthcare. Secondly, hospitals and clinics that support and promote cultural values associated with professional ethos, development and collaboration, and also support value statement in motivation system and performance management, are able to build stronger connections with employees. These organizations can benefit from their positive attitude, loyalty and commitment. Finally, healthcare organizations should embed public and community values about good healthcare to get community goodwill and attract the best employees (Graber, 2008).
This is a manager’s role to become an “ambassador” of organizational values, to take leadership role and to demonstrate desired behaviors. Managers are “role models” for the nursing staff, and personal example is very important.
There are many challenges making organizational culture implementation very difficult, and creating dissonance between delared and actual values and norms within organization. Scarce resources, diverse values in different groups, competition, prioritization dilemmas are among these challenges.
There are various communication techniques that can be applied by managers and nurses in order to cope with difficult situations, to support collaboration and teamwork.
In successful healthcare organizations it’s the collective work of managers and team members to develop and to implement culture elements that promote trust, respect, effective communication, care and professionalism.
References
- Wooten, L.P., Crane, P. (2003). Nurses as Implementers of Organizational Culture. Nursing Economics, 2003;21(6). Retrieved from < http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/465920_6 > Accessed 11 June, 2014.
- Manojlovich, M., & Ketefian, S. (2002). The Effects of Organizational Culture on Nursing Professionalism: Implications for health resource planning. The Canadian Journal of Nursing Research = Revue Canadienne De Recherche En Sciences Infirmieres, 33(4) 15-34.
- Nelson, W.A., Gardent P.B. (2011). Organizational Value Statements. Healthcare Executive. Mar/Apr 2011. Retrieved from < http://www.ache.org/abt_ache/ethicstoolkit/MA11_Ethics_p.56-59.pdf > Accessed 11 June, 2014
- Wallace, J.T. (1996). One health care organization: A study in workplace motivation and organizational culture. Dissertations and Master's Theses. Paper AAI9702114.
- Jung, T, Scott, T., Davies, T., Bower, P., Whalley, D., McNally, R. and Mannion R. (2007), Instruments for the Exploration of Organisational Culture, Working Paper. Retrieved from < http://www.scothub.org/Working%20papers/Instruments%20for%20the%20Exploration%20of%20Organisational%20Culture%20-%20working%20paper%202007.pdf > Accessed 11 June 2014.
- Rassin M. (2008). Nurses' professional and personal values. Nurs Ethics. 2008 Sep;15(5):614-30. doi: 10.1177/0969733008092870.
- Graber, D. (2008) Establishing Value-Based Leadership and Value System in Healthcare Organizations. Journal of Health and Human Services Administration. Vol. 31, No. 2 (FALL 2008), pp. 179-197.
- Tsai Y. (2011). Relationship between Organizational Culture, Leadership Behavior and Job Satisfaction. BMC Health Services Research 2011, 11:98 Retrieved from < http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/11/98>. Accessed 11 June 2014
- Tallia, A. F., Lanham, H. J., McDaniel, R. R., Crabtree, B. F. (2006). Seven Characteristics of Successful Work Relationships. American Academy of Family Physicians. Retrieved from www.aafp.org
- Alvesson, M. (2002) Understanding Organizational Culture. SAGE Publications Ltd
