From the March/April Issue...
As a healthcare management professor, I spend a great
deal of time teaching students about the importance of organizational
culture. There are many quips and clichés, and even some profound
thoughts, about culture in the management world: “We can change culture
if we change behavior,” for example, or “Culture eats strategy for
breakfast” (often attributed to Peter Drucker, a titan of management
thought). “Culture is the software of the mind” is another phrase that
gives me pause for thought. The ability to manage in multicultural
organizations and communities is one of the biggest challenges
healthcare leaders face.
In his interview for this issue of the Journal of Healthcare Management,
Michael O. Ugwueke, DHA, FACHE, talks about the many cultures he
encounters as president and CEO of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. Dr.
Ugwueke shares his professional journey from Nigeria to the United
States and imparts some interesting thoughts on delivering care to
people living in social and economic stress.
The theme of cultures under stress continues in the
Diversity and Inclusion column by Lynette Bonar, RN, FACHE, the CEO of
Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation in northeastern Arizona. She
takes up the topic of forced cultural assimilation of the Navajo and
other Native American peoples and the impact it has on those
populations’ health and well-being. She describes some hard realities
but demonstrates that organizations with strong cultural sensitivity can
deliver appropriate care that will change the health outcomes of their
communities. In particular, cultural competence can be translated into
improved health literacy through better communication.
Continue reading this Issue's Editorial here...
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