Angkor Hospital for Children Faculty Development Course

Clinical Teaching - Definitions

What is Organizational Culture? A set of common understandings around which action is organized, expressed in common behaviors, language, ways of interpreting things and values. For example, the hospital has a strong organizational culture. When we say code everyone acts in a very specific way which wouldnt occur if you said code in the market. We expect people to act in certain ways, use certain words, interpret what we say with the right filters and hold similar values about patient care that we do. Every organization be it a family, school, workplace, or social club has a specific culture, although sometimes the culture is quite strong (as in the hospital) and sometimes it is weaker (maybe with friends.) Behaviors & Artifacts Behaviors are outward manifestations of a culture which can be observed what we wear, how we act, language we use, how physical spaces are arranged. But while this is visible, the behavior doesnt tell us why were doing what we do.
A friend always cuts the ends off her roast (a large piece of meat) before putting it in the oven.

Behaviors & Artifacts Assumptions & Beliefs

Values

Values The next level of culture are values. While we cant see values, they are often what determines our behavior. They are what motivates specific behaviors.
She cuts the ends off her meat because her mother taught her to do this. Her mother learned this from her grandmother. This behavior is a connection to her family.

Assumptions & Beliefs To really understand culture, you have to understand its assumptions and beliefs. They usually develop from a cultures values, but sometime the connection to the actual value is lost. But the filter remains within the culture.
Grandma knows best she always did the right thing.

And this goes right back into a behavior. If the assumptions and beliefs leading to a behavior are no longer relevant or important to the organization, we call this behavior an artifact.
My friend asked her grandmother why she cuts the ends off her meat. She explained 50 years ago, her oven was too small to put a whole piece of meat in so she had to cut off the ends to make it fit!