Culture change

About: Culture change is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1531 publications have been published within this topic receiving 41922 citations. The topic is also known as: cultural change & culture changes.

Building customer centricity in the hospitality sector: the role of talent management

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this paper is to consider how talent management can be a strategic lever to enable the development of a customer-centric culture in the hospitality sector. Design/methodology/approach In-depth interviews with HR practitioners within the hospitality industry have been used to explore different approaches to talent management. Findings Changing customer requirements necessitate increased emphasis on customer experience demanding a more skilled workforce, especially stronger in interpersonal skills. Companies are adjusting their attraction, retention and development strategies to deliver a revised understanding of talent. They are focusing on building that capability rather than buying it in. Leadership selection and development is also being adjusted. Practical implications This approach has implications for the skill demands placed on the workforce, for the sort of staff who are hired (chosen on attitude more than technical skills) and how they are trained, assessed and rewarded. Leaders (at all levels) must adjust their style to suit and work in partnership with HR. Originality/value The paper offers the chance for hospitality sector leaders to reflect on how they manage talent, giving them ways to link people management with the drivers of business success. It shows how organisations can meet the challenges of the “experience economy” through attracting and developing the right staff and how talent management policy and practice can be used as a vehicle for culture change and development.

Building Capacity and Capability for Evaluating the Outcomes of Social Work Education (the OSWE Project): Creating a Culture Change

Abstract: This paper describes and analyses the first year of a three-year project in the UK to build capacity and capability in evaluating the outcomes of social work education. A facilitated action learning set was established for six university social work programmes, involving in different ways academic, practice, service user and carer educators, who met to develop research projects focussed on measuring the outcomes of social work education. We outline the genesis of the project, and discuss the context in terms of both pedagogic research and social work education. We describe the activities undertaken in its first year, including the evaluation strategy. Some emerging findings are presented concerning the levels of learning outcomes being assessed; the role of the evaluator; the importance of engaging colleagues and students; service user and carer participation; and the positive features of the learning set. Plans for the remaining two years are outlined, including the piloting of outcome measures. Finally we reframe the model as it emerged in practice, extracting key elements for capacity building.

Cultural change and perpetuation in organisations: evidence from an English emergency ambulance service

Abstract: Transforming cultures rather than changing structures is a favourite prescription for reforming health care organisations. We explore the relationship between cultures, performance measures, and organisational change by analysing the cultural characteristics of an English ambulance trust to understand how organisational culture is perpetuated. Internal and external factors that impact on culture change programmes, such as historical legacy and sub-cultural dynamics, are identified. The role and identity of ambulance personnel, the conflict between professional culture and managerial objectives, and the role of performance measurement were found to be significant issues which promoted resistance to enforced change and impeded planned management action.

An adaptive approach to facilitating research productivity in a primary care clinical department.

Abstract: Efforts to foster the growth of a department’s or school’s research mission can be informed by known correlates of research productivity, but the specific strategies to be adopted will be highly context-dependent, influenced by local, national, and discipline-specific needs and resources. The authors describe a multifaceted approach—informed by a working model of organizational research productivity—by which the University of Minnesota Department of Family Medicine and Community Health (Twin Cities campus) successfully increased its collective research productivity during a 10-year period (1997–2007) and maintained these increases over time. Facing barriers to recruitment of faculty investigators, the department focused instead on nurturing high-potential investigators among their current faculty via a new, centrally coordinated research program, with provision of training, protected time, technical resources, mentoring, and a scholarly culture to support faculty research productivity. Success of these initiatives is documented by the following: substantial increases in the department’s external research funding, rise to a sustained top-five ranking based on National Institutes of Health funding to U.S. family medicine departments, later-stage growth in the faculty’s publishing record, increased research capacity among the faculty, and a definitive maturation of the department’s research mission. The authors offer their perspectives on three apparent drivers of success with broad applicability—namely, effective leadership, systemic culture change, and the self-awareness to adapt to changes in the local, institutional, and national research environment.

The State of Medical Student Wellness: A Call for Culture Change

Abstract: In recent years, multiple studies exploring medical student mental health highlight the increased frequency and severity of emotional problems during physicians’ formative years. Although these studies demonstrate a clear burden on medical students, we have not achieved a broader understanding of malleable factors in student wellness, and, thus, effective interventions to promote wellness are lagging behind. The development of evidence-based preventive and clinical programs in academic centers requires an appropriate focus on overall medical student wellness, encompassing academic and institutional elements. Successful models of student wellness programs exist (1); however, best-practices in this area have not yet been developed. A systematic review of studies among U.S. and Canadian medical students showed a higher prevalence of anxiety and depression among these students than in their age-matched peers (2). Even more worrisome, 11% of students in a longitudinal cohort from seven medical schools admitted to having had suicidal thoughts in the previous year (3). Over time, medical student health centers have seen an increased utilization of services (4, 5). It is unclear whether this is due to a higher prevalence and/or severity of mental disorders, increased identification of disorders, improved availability of services, reduced stigma, or a combination of these factors. This commentary will review factors that may contribute to student distress and discuss suggestions for effective interventions to address these. Our purpose is to provoke thought and debate about student wellness and to inspire action through the development of evidence-based interventions to improve wellness at medical schools across the country. Contributing Factors and Strategies for Culture Change Factors contributing to students’ mental health difficulties during medical school may be individual (intrapersonal and interpersonal) and/or environmental (institutional; see Table 1). These may include preexisting or de novo medical and/or mental illness; academic difficulties; emotional intelligence (EI) deficits (being unaware of one’s own or others’ emotions and having limited ability to effectively communicate and work with others); intolerable stress due to high workload, with high performance expectations and exposure to human suffering; confronting the hierarchical culture of medicine, including intergenerational clashes; neglect of social support networks, leading to isolation; and interpersonal stressors (e.g., a family member’s illness, divorce, separation, long-distance relationships, and financial pressures) (6, 7). The following sections outline factors contributing to student distress, paired with potential strategies for addressing them. In some cases, solutions have been described in the literature. Additional suggestions are presented, based on our institutions’ experiences.