Creating healing organizations.

a O s fi o t l hen Greg Carlson became CEO of a newly merged hospital, he was faced with a dilemma. How was he going to lend two cultures while maintaining moale and avoiding layoffs? Surely a dauntng task. Carlson (whose doctoral thesis xamined mortality rates for hospital-emloyed versus contract cardiac surgeons— he conclusion was in favor of employee odel), decided to create a “culture design eam,” bringing together a cross-departental group of formal and informal leadrs to determine the values they would like o see in their leaders and colleagues. hat was powerful about this process was hat it was not top-down, but a collaboraive effort that was endorsed by the board f directors and all levels of the organizaion. Carlson says his greatest learning hrough the process was that there was no uch thing as a right or wrong culture. ach organization has to decide what they alue—whether it be teamwork, innovaion, service, financial success—and clearly ommunicate those values to all, utilize hem in evaluating staff and programs to nsure congruence with those values, hire ccording to those values, and reward beaviors that reflect those values. At the Samueli Institute, when we talk bout a healing organization, we mean the ulture of the organization—one that vales and sustains the attitudes and behavors that facilitate recovery, repair, and holeness. A healing culture expresses itelf through the mission and the vision of he organization and rewards behaviors hat enhance healing. Trust, communicaion, compassion, service, and a commitent to active learning are the core comonents of organizational change needed o create a healing culture. But above all, eaders must themselves model the type of haracteristics they would like to see in heir culture. Tom Atchison, EdD, who consults with ealthcare organizations on managing hange, teambuilding, and leadership det