ABSTRACT
Many healthcare organizations can cite a few firsts and showcase a clever idea or two, but do they have a deeply embedded culture that enables innovation throughout the organization on a daily basis? In their 1982 book that brought the term into common usage in business, Corporate Cultures: The Rites and Rituals of Corporate Life, Terrence Deal and Allan Kennedy define organizational culture simply as “the way we do things around here.” More expansive definitions suggest that organizational culture is based in shared attitudes, beliefs, customs, and written and unwritten rules that evolve over time and are passed on to new members joining the organization. Culture is demonstrated in a variety of ways, including how the organization treats customers and employees, the extent to which freedom is allowed in decision making and the development of new ideas, how power and information flow, and how committed employees are to the organization’s objectives.
