Page 376 - CEO Orientation

Executive Summary

Purpose and Introduction:

An organization’s culture is its foundational bedrock. In business, culture is defined as eminently
influencing a myriad of organizational decisions and actions through the prevailing ideas, values,
attitudes, relationships and beliefs that guide the way in which employees and leadership think, feel and
act – quite often unconsciously.

Regardless of the terminology chosen to describe it, culture essentially is the “glue” that holds an
organization together, or the “compass” that provides direction.

Evaluating and understanding organizational culture during a time of change -- in this case, the
integration of Providence Healthcare, St. Joseph’s Health Centre and St. Michael’s Hospital into one new
health network -- is critical. A cultural assessment is a vital discovery exercise essential for realizing the
potential influence of culture not only on individual, group and program performance, but also on
organizational performance and, ultimately, the ever-important component of patient care.

To help inform the amalgamation, the purpose of the cultural assessment undertaken by the three
hospitals was to discover what the organizations have in common, as well as what makes them
distinctive from an employee perspective.

The Process:

Prior to the August 1, 2017 integration of Providence Healthcare, St. Joseph’s Health Centre and St.
Michael’s Hospital as a new health network, the organizations conducted, from June to August 2017, a
cultural assessment at each site.

Engagement methodologies were tailored to the communication approaches preferred at each site, with
a total of 426 participants (CEOs, board members, leadership, physicians, employees, volunteers)
contributing to the assessment.

Using a list of standard questions, qualitative data was collected under eight domains:

Domain Categories:
 Organizational Culture: A perspective regarding the history and culture of each
organization combined
 Uniqueness: Qualities/supports that are unique to the organization
 Organizational Values: What is valued and fundamental to the hospital
 Leadership: The role leadership in influencing the culture of the organization and skills
required for integration
 Communication: The exchange and flow of information within the organization that
affects the culture and methodologies that are critical during integration
 Staff Retention, Recognition and Wellness: An organization’s efforts to ensure staff have

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