ABSTRACT
Culture is the most often spoken barrier to improving healthcare and, yet, perhaps the least understood. Culture is the way things are done in an organization and are reflective of behaviors, norms, and beliefs. Healthcare transformation will not occur unless the culture of the industry and healthcare organizations also transforms (see Figure 10.1). An often quoted phrase is that “culture eats strategy for lunch,” symbolizing that all change plans are meaningless if they counter the prevailing cultural norm. Dramatic change starts, includes, and ends with culture.
