Although most healthcare leaders recognize the inherent link between work place design strategy and their organization’s culture, few deeply understand the reciprocal relationship that exists between the two. Far too often, healthcare leaders view their places of work and care as a container that responds to existing culture and not a change agent to inspire culture change. Those with this viewpoint have a limited perspective on how design can positively impact their system and workforce to spur new levels of success.
In truth, the relationship between work place design and company culture isn’t all that different from a tango. When leveraged correctly, one can lead the other and vice versa to move a health system forward. While design should take cues from existing culture, it should also serve as a tool to transform patient care, multidisciplinary teaming, learning, engagement, transparency and the overall user experience. Health organizations should embrace work place design changes as a bridge tool that can move their culture from where it is today, to where they want it to be tomorrow.
For example, a healthcare organization that is dissatisfied with the level of collaboration should not design spaces that simply respond to existing work styles. Instead, it needs to spur new behaviors through new types of spaces that challenge and reshape how their people work to spur multidisciplinary thinking and teaming.
The University of Minnesota Health took such an innovative approach when designing its Clinics and Surgery Center, moving away from private offices that could be empty up to 90% of the time and introducing a variety of touchdown spaces, collaboration areas, adaptable clinical modules, a small number of unassigned offices that could be reserved for certain times, and a two-story staff café and atrium space. The resulting facility has increased staff engagement and satisfaction, saved University of Minnesota Health tens of millions, and earned national media attention from the likes of STAT, Fast Company and Modern Healthcare.
Not every health system requires a solution as radical as Minnesota Health’s, but all should focus on the symbiotic relationship between work place design and culture to take purposeful action knowing the positive impact it will have on their culture. This is a careful dance and anyone hoping to “Master the Tango” between the two, must commit to some fundamental steps and strategies to ensure success.
Understand Your People
Before embarking on workplace design strategy, every organization should understand and align on the needs and constraints of providers, clinicians and employees in addition to its business goals for the future. Without this foundational knowledge, health systems are ill-equipped to define the where, what and how of their work place. Space changes can help companies achieve their organizational goals but any ambiguity or leadership misalignment could lead to inefficient decision-making and potential roadblocks. Organizations with articulated goals can ensure every space decision they make is in line with their broader long-term objectives.
Establishing a baseline around the needs, wants and hopes for future work place investments requires input and buy-in from the end users — leadership, physicians staff and sometimes even patients. Through individual meetings, focus groups, town hall sessions, surveys, workplace simulations, prototyping and other prevalent feedback communication tools, healthcare organizations can engage stakeholders thoughtfully before finalizing and implementing workplace changes. Reliable two-way feedback loops will reinforce the validity and strength of both the design changes themselves and adoption.