Cultural Adaptation Leadership Healthcare Organizations

From the onset, it would be prudent to note that a positive organizational culture is of great relevance owing to the fact that it determines the success of an organization. Different organizations have unique cultures that determine their strategies and performance. According to Braithwaite et al. (2017), having a positive culture in an organization improves patient outcomes. Essentially, a positive organizational culture improves patients’ outcomes by, amongst other things; increasing their quality of life, reducing length of stay in hospital, and reducing mortality (Braithwaite et al., 2017). It is important to note that having a positive organization culture requires an organization to have certain values and expectations, and be involved in various practices to be able to achieve positive patient outcomes. The said values, goals, and practices are shared within the organization. Shared values in an organizational culture influence the way in which employees behave, feel, and think within the workplace. Indeed, values determine whether employees are motivated to meet organization’s goals, how they cooperate with other employees, how they serve clientele, and how they perform in workplace (Harhash et al, 2020).

To create a positive culture within an organization, there would be need for an organization to share a number of values which are inclusive of, but they are not limited to; safety, teamwork, open communication, positive attitude to change, evidence use and development, involvement, collaboration and participation by stakeholders, development, leadership, lifelong learning, and person-centeredness (Harhash et al., 2020). To a large extent, an organization should be able to meet the different expectation of its employees for it to be successful. In addition, an organization should give its employees a chance to engage in valuable and meaningful discussions so as to bring new ideas into the organization and thus improve patient outcomes.

Organizational practices or behavioral patterns result from the underlying assumptions and beliefs of organizational culture. There are various organizational practices that reflect a positive organizational culture. Organizational practices are associated with traits which are inclusive of, but are not limited to; involvement, consistency, adaptability, and mission (Harhash et al., 2020). With regard to organizational involvement, a positive organizational culture should be indicative of the following behaviors: capability to development, team orientation, and empowerment. An organization should also include its vision, objectives, goals, intent, and strategic direction. In addition, an organization should be appreciative of continuous learning, customer focused, and adaptable to change (Harhash et al., 2020). Moreover, an organization should be consistent in terms of, integration, coordination, agreement, and core values. From the said practices, involvement trait happens to be the most important practice in an organization culture. This is more so the case given that it makes employees more involved in the organization’s work, and thus creates a positive impact towards the organization. In addition, involvement encourages teamwork, collaboration, and accountability in an organization. Essentially, when employees collaborate, they tend to feel more accountable towards meeting the organization’s goal. This could advance the assertion that an organization has the skills that are required to be competitive in the healthcare realm. As a result, the organization will meet its goals, leading to improved patient outcomes.

One of the approaches that would help improve organizational culture in a healthcare organization would be effective leadership. Leadership happens to be instrumental in this case owing to the fact that an organizational leader sets the tone for others to follow. Thus, a leader has to embody the behaviors that ought to be emulated. It is important to note that the tone that a healthcare organizational leader sets prevails across all levels and throughout the organization. Therefore, when managers within healthcare organizations lead by example, better outcomes are likely to be achieved. As a leader, I intend to achieve this by ensuring that I engage all employees in decision making efforts. There would also be need to ensure that all employees are sufficiently motivated. Pennic (n. d) restates the need for healthcare managers to create an environment of innovation, support, and positivity among staff members. When the healthcare staff are supported, they tend to work better and thus improve patient outcomes. Secondly, I intend to communicate regularly with the employees so as to ensure that they are well aware of the strategic direction of the organization and the reasons as to why the various goals and objectives matter. The relevance of promoting teamwork cannot also be overstated. According to Pennic (n.d), teamwork is important in reinforcing culture owing to the fact that it helps improve trust and encourages camaraderie among employees. Further, I intend to regularly praise, motivate, and recognize top performers within the organization. This would ensure that the said employees are more committed towards the accomplishment of the various goals and objectives of the organization. In the final analysis, I intend to spend most of the time outlining the goals of the organization to staff members and finding ways of communicating the said goals to them in the best manner possible. I am well aware of the fact that the creation of a positive organizational culture takes time. Patience and long-term perspective would be instrumental in this case.