Establishing an Organizational Culture

Organizational culture can be defined as the collection of common norms, values, expectations, and beliefs shared by its members (Chalmers R, Brannan GD. Organizational culture. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing, 2022; McShane SL, Von Glinow MA. Organizational behavior and theory. McGraw-Hill, 2018). Such culture is foundational in any healthcare context, as it provides the template for acceptable practice in accomplishing the organization’s work. Some have referred to organizational culture as the organization’s DNA, which reflects the mutual outlook, assumptions, and standards of its membership (Chalmers R, Brannan GD. Organizational culture. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing, 2022). Nothing plays a more significant role in shaping organizational culture than leadership (Sfantou D, et al. Healthcare. 5:73–89, 2017; Dixon-Woods M et al. BMJ Qual Saf. 23:106–115, 2014). Competent leaders are vital to developing, shaping, and maintaining a successful organizational culture (ALFadhalah T, Elamir H. J Healthc Leadersh. 13:243–254, 2021). To be effective, a leader must understand the varying dimensions and related artifacts or expressions of organizational culture and, perhaps most importantly, recognize the values, tribes, and goals that comprise the organization and their interrelationships. A strong organizational culture within a healthcare system promotes team unity, provides guidance in dealing with complex scenarios, promotes job satisfaction and employee commitment, and even serves as a predictor of the success of quality improvement initiatives (Chalmers R, Brannan GD. Organizational culture. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing, 2022; ALFadhalah T, Elamir H. J Healthc Leadersh. 13:243–254, 2021). Cultural strength can be a competitive advantage to any surgical practice. This chapter aims to impart to the surgeon leader the keys to establishing and maintaining a successful organizational culture in their surgical practice setting.