5 Ways to Create a Strong Organizational Culture in Healthcare
Healthcare facilities have a unique set of challenges in hiring and retaining staff. Nursing professionals have begun leaving the profession at unprecedented rates — some in search of better healthcare work environments, others leaving the industry altogether. Whether a staff member chooses to find a new career or stay at your company may depend on your company’s organizational culture.
In healthcare, nurses and allied staff no longer need to be tied down to one facility to have fulfilling, fruitful careers. The modern healthcare landscape allows them to practice across state lines, in alternative practice settings, and even remotely. They’re choosing to pursue health, family priorities, and personal well-being instead of investing valuable time and energy at facilities that may leave them feeling unsupported.
If your facility is struggling to retain staff, it’s time to look beyond “the great resignation” and turn within to determine what’s keeping staff motivated — and what’s prompting them to leave. In this article, we explain the importance of creating a positive workplace culture in healthcare and outline creative ways to improve employee satisfaction, wellness, and job retention.
What Is Organizational Culture In Healthcare?
Company culture comprises a set of workplace values and beliefs that influence behaviors and attitudes within an organization. A strong organizational culture can help reduce employee turnover rates by creating a positive environment, rather than one they’re constantly looking for a way out of. It can also help boost morale, increase productivity, and improve patient outcomes.
It’s essential that healthcare organizations create a positive environment that empowers staff to do their best work. You can start by developing a strong foundation of core values and ensuring that your company’s mission and vision are embodied throughout all departments.
A healthcare facility should also make efforts to help staff feel valued and supported. It’s easy to feel small within a large organization — a company that embodies strong organizational culture supports staff as individuals and encourages them to share ideas for improvement and growth.
What is the Importance of Organizational Culture?
In healthcare facilities across the U.S., nurses — who make up the largest sector of the healthcare workforce — are leaving the profession in droves. According to our nationwide nursing trends survey, 77% of nursing professionals who responded said they were looking for a new job and 45% said they planned to leave nursing altogether.
Organizational culture plays a monumental role in nurse satisfaction and retention. When nursing staff were asked if their organization cared about their well-being, our survey found that:
- 39% felt unsupported.
- 75% felt burned out.
- 28% felt unsafe going to work.
It’s essential that healthcare organizations improve nursing workplace satisfaction to ensure clinical units are staffed well enough to provide high-quality patient care. This may mean that a facility needs to change old practices and leadership styles to achieve a strong organizational culture that supports healthcare staff.
What Are 5 Elements of Organizational Culture?
The things that matter to healthcare employees may be different from those of company executives. Job security and a well-rounded benefits package are important, but at the core, staff members want to feel seen and heard.
If you’re wondering which styles and types of organizational culture in healthcare matter most to your employees, here are a few elements that have the highest impact on employee satisfaction and retention:
| Elements of Organizational Culture | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Respect | Employees want their perspectives taken seriously and to be treated with dignity. |
| Supportive Leadership | Employees value leaders who are helpful, accommodating, and responsive to their individual needs. |
| Core Value Role Models | A leader needs to “practice what they preach” to ensure that their actions are consistent with their organization’s mission and values. |
| Toxic Managers | Negative workplace culture in healthcare can be a detriment to company success. Employees respond poorly to leaders who create harsh working environments, causing high rates of staff turnover and dissatisfaction. |
| Unethical Behavior | When employees and managers partake in unethical behavior, it often affects an organization’s brand image. Patients can perceive these behaviors and are less likely to come back for care, which may affect a company’s financial stability and long-term success. |
5 Ways to Build a Strong Culture
After seeing some good company culture examples, you’re probably looking to incorporate key components into your facility’s best practices. Below are five strategies to help your facility cultivate positive elements of organizational culture, with examples for how to appeal to clinical staff in an honest and meaningful way.
1. Command Respect With an Uncompromising Culture
When employees feel valued and respected, they’re more likely to be engaged in their work. It’s important to show healthcare staff that respect and results are equally important. You can do this by establishing policies and core values that reflect an uncompromising culture. Here are some healthy workplace culture examples in practice.
Allow Staff to Be Themselves
Workplaces that allow staff to express their true identity have better rates of job satisfaction. For instance, a study showed that LGBTQ-supportive workplaces lead to lower levels of workplace stress and anxiety. A career in healthcare is stressful enough, so consider how creating an inclusive workplace can reduce added stress. You also may want to reconsider policies that limit self-expression (such as policies restricting tattoos, hair color, or pride paraphernalia).
Have a Zero-Tolerance Policy for Violence
Nearly one-third of nurses report experiencing incidents of violence in the workplace, 90% of which were from patients. Healthcare leaders must advocate for staff through actions and words. Create a zero-tolerance policy for violence. Make it clear to the public that if a patient physically assaults a nurse, they’ll have to receive care at a different facility.
Eliminate Staff Bullying
Staff burnout and a tense workplace can lead to workplace bullying. With 40% of nurses experiencing bullying in the workplace, it may be time to examine your facility’s environment to:
- Determine which conditions contribute to tension and incivility.
- Provide staff and leadership education about bullying in the workplace.
- Train managers to identify bullying and encourage staff to speak up if they witness any workplace incivility.
2. Apply Servant Leadership
A people-first leadership style echoes throughout a healthcare organization, building trust among patients and staff. Modeling servant leadership is a way to show that you prioritize people over profits. This model takes a serve-first approach that places humility over authority. With less emphasis on productivity and more on service, leaders can inspire a vision of all the good a healthcare organization can do.
3. Build Programs That Promote Professional Development
It’s important for companies to create an environment that allows staff to grow in their professional careers. One way to encourage a strong organizational culture in healthcare is by building a professional development program that supports career aspects like leadership, advanced skills, and evidence-based practice.
Nursing professional development improves patient outcomes and increases retention rates. As you develop your nursing career ladder, encourage leadership tracks so nurses have a presence on your administrative team. Having “homegrown” nurses in administrative roles gives nursing staff an added layer of representation during decision-making.
4. Demonstrate a Commitment to Safety
There are many barriers to providing safe care, including short staffing and limited resources. As a leader, be transparent about your present challenges and provide a path forward for solving them. A commitment to the safe delivery of patient care should be widely present in your organization. You can memorialize this commitment in a mission statement and through facility-wide safety policies.
5. Make Leadership Accessible
Administrative staff and clinical employees have significantly different experiences within a healthcare organization. Close the gap between the two to create a strong organizational culture in healthcare. Industry-leading researchers suggest utilizing the following strategies to improve leadership visibility:
- Encourage open forum town hall meetings.
- Conduct administrative rounds on nursing units.
- Schedule human resources visits to nursing units to better understand staffing needs.
Don’t Miss Out on the Latest Company Culture Insights
Now that you understand the importance of organizational culture in healthcare, you’re ready to take actionable steps to better connect with your clinical staff. Following IntelyCare’s monthly newsletter can help you stay up-to-date on the latest healthcare workforce trends proven to support and improve employee wellness.