Relationship of Organizational Culture and Ethical Decision-Making at Mayo Clinic

¶ … organization's culture and ethical decision-making? When talking about the Mayo Clinic.

The organization's culture

Mayo Clinic Model of Care describes its culture as consisting of "teamwork, collegiality, professionalism, mutual respect, and a commitment to progress for the organization and for individuals" (http://www.mayoclinic.org/physician-jobs/culture.html)

In concrete terms, this is epitomized by an integrated team of multidisciplinary physicians, scientists and health sciences professionals who focus on the needs of the patients. As one professional who transferred form mayo to another hospital described it:

At Mayo the focus is on the patient. The needs of the patient come first... "Mayo has been, from the beginning, a group practice... You really have to be a team player. People in administrative positions understand that everyone is an important member of the team. (http://takingnote.tcf.org/2008/10/what-makes-the.html)

In this way, the Mayo Clinic also describes its culture as one that is "committed to teamwork -- and places team success ahead of individual success "(The Mayo Culture) as well as one that "Encourages an atmosphere of mutual respect" (ibid.).

In short, we may sum up the Clinic's culture as perspective on flexibility with respect and empathy for patient and team worker, with the priority on the patient. The patients like the doctors are equal. And this drives their decision-making,.

The organization's ethical decision making

The organization perceives itself as caring for colleagues and patients and respecting all people. It also sees itself as being open and tolerant, constantly striving towards improvement and progress ("Openness toward change and improvement for the benefit of patients, along with mutual respect and an interest in the advancement of colleagues " (The Mayo Culture) ). Its ethical decision-making, therefore, lie along this continuum of opennesses to change within the perimeters of respect and tolerance for individuals.

The nature of its ethical decision-making, too, would naturally focus on collaboration and resolution-seeking in order to seek the best options for all and to help patients in an ethical and optimum manner. This would accord with its endeavors in striving to create an atmosphere that bespeaks mutual respect and in forging team-committed labor.

Connection

The organizations' culture and ethical decision making are so tightly bound up one with the other since the culture is the way that it makes its ethical decision, and defines it. To elaborate, the organization defines its culture as constituting of "openness toward change and improvement for the benefit of patients, along with mutual respect and an interest in the advancement of colleagues " At the same time, this is synonymous with an ethical stance towards its patients. The organization also accentuates its team spirit. This is an indistinguishable part of its ethical mentality too and, inherently, drives its decision-making stance.

This is epitomized in a program that the Mayo Clinic innovated called the Mayo Clinic Program in Professionalism and Ethics -- Communication in Healthcare Program. Founded in 2004, the program attempts to convey the Mayo culture and ethical decision making route by delivering and teachign its students cutting edge clinician training in the skills of patient-clinician communication, empathy, and shared decision making.