Facilitating Innovation at the Nursing Unit Level Through Cultural Assessment, Part 1

Abstract

The early hopes and expectations of organizational culture often fail to materialize because the nature of organizational culture is not understood. This article describes what culture is, explains where culture comes from, and analyzes the variety of subcultures that can exist in healthcare organizations. In so doing it explores why managerial ideas for change are not automatically implemented by organizational members. The importance of assessing a group's culture before implementing change is discussed. Tools for assessing the work group culture of a nursing unit are presented. Part 2 (May 1993) will describe a five-step process to strengthen the forces that drive cultural change and overcome forces that resist innovation.