ABSTRACT
This chapter describes Baptist Health Care's cultural transformation in terms of communication. It examines how organizational members have used communication to establish heroes and villains, shared values, rituals and ceremonies, and active communication networks. Employee empowerment and satisfaction are central components in each area. The staffs at Baptist Health Care observe an extensive number of rituals and ceremonies supporting organizational values. Employee empowerment is evident in the lack of status markers at Baptist Hospital. The most daunting task still remained—to create an organizational culture that could raise employee and patient satisfaction scores and keep them up. Employee empowerment is evident in the lack of status markers at Baptist Hospital. Employees are eligible to take part in ongoing leadership development programs and classes through "Baptist University," an in-house educational program featuring best-selling authors and speakers from around the country.
