Running head: Organizational Culture 1
Organizational Culture
By: Danica Pauline F. Nuestro
Concordia University Chicago ADP Program
Organizational Culture 2
INTRODUCTION
Culture is a critical part in healthcare safety and quality. Culture change has been an
important factor for innovating organizations in recent years; In geriatrics, much has been placed
in changing the delivery of care; from an institutionalized approach to a more patient centric,
individualized and qualitative approach. Culture change began as a grassroots movement in the
1990s, led by The National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform (NCCNHR) to pass the
legislation; from the passage of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 (OBRA 87)
and the requirement that nursing homes meet the physical, mental, and psychosocial needs of
each resident.
Despite national efforts, there are still issues and questions that needs to be addressed
today, specially to those who provide care for patients; one, is the lack of quality healthcare
education to meet current healthcare needs. In a micro level, there is a need for checks and
balances on Private Vocational institutions, since they are some of the leading trainers of the
healthcare workforce today.
Halstead (2016) said that To produce nurses prepared to practice in reformed health care
environments, we can no longer educate our nursing students using the traditional educational
practices that we have long embraced. There exists no substantive evidence to suggest that our
traditional means of clinical education in nursing and other health professions are particularly
effective in developing clinical reasoning, so it is an opportune time to closely examine our
educational practices and create new learning paradigms that are grounded in evidence. As an
employee of a small healthcare vocational school in the suburbs of Illinois; I can see multiple
operational issues, a low employee morale and need for enforced rules and regulations within our
company.
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COMPANY PROFILE
General Business Activities: ABC Healthcare and Training Center (not the real company
name) has been established as an Allied Health and Practical Nurse Training Institute. It provides
education for individuals interested in entering the Healthcare field. The companys mission is to
promote the health and well-being of Illinois residents, primarily by providing proper patient
care and patient safety. Furthermore, the goal is to ensure that the healthcare workforce
deployed are highly competent and empowered. As well as to support the ever-growing patient
care and health care needs of Illinois residents. CMK Healthcares vision is committed to
providing high standards of training and services to prepare nursing and healthcare workforce of
present and future as well as providing low cost tuition and flexible payment schedules.
Majority of the company's student population are attending programs to be Nurse
Assistants and Practical Nurses. Student career opportunities are within the Long-term care
facilities, whether home health care, assisted living or nursing homes. Currently, the company
employs 1 part time general office worker, 1 dean, 6 part - time instructors and is run by the
owner and his family. To understand the current situation of the company as well as its strategic
directions, a SWOT analysis was completed:
Strengths Weaknesses
- Fast Paced program - No financial aid
- Diverse student body - Not accredited
- Central location - Limited schedule options
- Proactive partnership with senior living - Sluggish response to student needs
facilities in the area - Limited resources for faculty and staff
- Reasonable tuition rate - Limited personnel
- Decent amount of student enrollees and an - Poor operational structure
extensive student database
Opportunities Threats
- Increased demand for healthcare workforce - Increased in reporting expected by the govt. and
- Increased focus on qualitative vs. numerical society
achievement - Increased competition
- Partnership in - Societal and student perception of education as
- Technological advancements means for job only
- Reporting requirements absorb large resources
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CURRENT CULTURE/NORMS
The companys owner and his family control most of the daily operating decisions, there
is no organizational chart developed; this results in miscommunication as well as confusion in
decision making. There is only one employee that assists in daily operations, business
development, marketing, public relations and overall strategic actions; This employee wears
multiple hats within the organization and only works part time. Because of that, there are issues
in mastery as well as function design. Instructors usually has limited resources. One example is
the lack of proper clinical laboratory equipment, sometimes instructors will provide their own. In
one instance, an instructor was forced to copy examination materials outside because the office
has no paper. These are small operational issues that are easy to fix, however, improper
management makes it difficult to get a solution.
New technologies are also being implemented statewide, and the company is pressured to
adapt to these changes. Furthermore, in the past 6 months, there is an increase in instructor call
offs and high turnover rates; Unqualified instructors are being hired to fill in the position of the
qualified instructors who decided to quit. To make it worst, scheduled classes has been cancelled
multiple times, registered students are not happy and income is lost. Nursing student enrollment
process is quantity and not quality based. Because of this, the company has a lower than average
pass rate. ABC Healthcare and Training Centers vision and mission are explicitly found in their
website and plastered in every corner of the company. However, they are not enforced. Company
values are not articulated as well as prominently communicated among the employees.
The SWOT analysis above showed how most of the companys issues are internal. In
further detail, the weaknesses are mostly attributed to human resource and lack of efficient
operational process. Due to the above circumstances, organizational change is needed.
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DEGREE OF CHANGE
Knowing the above deficiencies help in deciding whether the organization requires a
transformation in its degree or functioning. Radical change is not fit for the current issues of the
company. Using incremental change, helps in the ongoing process of evolution overtime, during
which many small adjustments occur routinely (Hellriegel, Jackson & Slocum, 2008).
DRIVERS OF CHANGE
The organizations goal includes the deployment of highly competent healthcare workers
who would provide high quality care. However, such goals are impeded by the current
organizational culture.
Creating a new culture within an organization can be challenging, ambiguous and
baffling. Since culture is somewhat uncertain in nature and shift of culture does not occur by
chance; a strategic plan of action must be made and implemented accordingly.
The call for the organizations change must come from above. Management must take
into action and address the current issues they are facing. They can offer seven driving factors,
such as: (a) leadership, (b) evidence-based practice, (c) teamwork, (d) communication, (e) a
learning culture, (f) and a just culture (Halstead, 2012). But there should also be emphasis as to
who will lead the change specifically. A change driver should be assigned to take charge in the
change initiatives.
HUMAN CAPITAL
Understanding what motivates employees help management make better decisions while
positively impacting the workplace. However, employee needs are not only intrinsic but extrinsic
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as well. Knowing what fit their overall needs, making sure that they are doing their job well and
rewarding them appropriately may reduce turnover rate. Using the model of expectancy theory
can help understand the nature of behavior and build more effective organizations.
However, people need to share what they know, coordinate with others, putting all the
pieces together helps in improving performances. Employee performance depends on available
resources, the help from coworkers and the infrastructure to help the work.
NEW EDUCATIONAL MODEL
The organization requires a redesign in its structure and processes. There are different models
that need to be done. First is building right faculty capacity; second is creatively designing new
models of clinical education; third, developing innovative models of academic/practice collaboration;
and advancing the science of nursing education through research. These models would only work
with the help of competent faculty members and an alignment of goals with the change leader.
CONCLUSION
Transforming the health care system requires a significant re-examination of current
education models not only in the macro level but in the micro level as well. To produce a
healthcare workforce prepared in the reformed healthcare environment, traditional practices can
no longer be embraced. A reference instrument must also be designed to help promote and
monitor the continuous improvement of vocational education and training systems based on
commonly agreed references. The adoption of change takes time; proper execution is required
for successful implementation. Recognition of deficiencies is the first indication for the need to
change.
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REFERENCES
Hellriegel, D., Jackson, S. E., Slocum, J. W., & Hellriegel, D. (2008). Managing: a
competency-based approach. Mason, OH: Thomson South-Western.
Jabbarian, J., & Chegini, M. G. (2016). The Effect of Perceived Organizational
Support on Employee Resistance to Change: A Study on Guilan Municipal Staff. Journal
Of History, Culture & Art Research / Tarih Kltr Ve Sanat Arastirmalari Dergisi, 5(4),
642-654. doi:10.7596/taksad.v5i4.627
Osland, J. (2007). The organizational behavior reader. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson Prentice Hall.
Patient Safety Culture: The Nursing Unit Leader's Role. (n.d.). Retrieved February
10, 2017, from
http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJ
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Leader.aspx
Quality assurance in vocational education and training (EQAVET) - Education and
training - European Commission. (n.d.). Retrieved February 12, 2017, from
https://ec.europa.eu/education/policy/vocational-policy/eqavet_en
Transforming Nursing Education to Meet Emerging Health Care Needs. (2012,
September 21). Retrieved February 12, 2017, from http://www.rwjf.org/en/culture-of-
health/2012/09/transforming_nursing.html
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