You Aren’t Stuck With Your Company’s Culture: Concrete Strategies For Change

It can be a challenge to modify the customs of a whole organization, particularly if the staff is large and spread over several locations.  It is always helpful to review the strategies that other teams have found successful in the past.  For example, consider the story of Adventist Midwest Health. 

Consisting of 5,000 very busy healthcare employees spread out over multiple hospitals, outpatient facilities, and support offices, Adventist started first with simple, concrete actions that could be implemented and talked about by every employee.

A major goal was to correct patient’s and patient’s family’s opinion regarding the quality of care they were receiving.  While Adventist was committed to providing quality care, the staff was often so engaged in the task at hand that they appeared flustered and non-communicative to those they encountered.  Although not the case, this ultimately made patients question the level of care they were receiving. 

In order to capture the trust of the patients and their families, Adventist set out to become a more attentive staff dedicated to gracious interchange among those they encountered.  And, while some organizations may have attempted to change the culture with a vague mandate such as “be friendly,” Adventist realized it needed to break the concept down into simple concrete actions. 

With the help of consultants from the Studer Group, Adventist leaders implemented the 10/5 Rule. They trained staff to make eye contact when approaching anyone (patients, coworkers and vendors) in the hallway within ten feet and to say “hello” at five feet.  

Suddenly everyone had a shared norm and a simple name for it. Staff could monitor co-worker’s adherence to the rule and would call them on it if they didn’t.  While some employees acknowledge that it can be annoying to be “called on it” when they forget to say hello, the rule has helped to create a friendlier environment.

The 10/5 rule has become deeply embedded in Adventist’s culture. After about a month, patients and employees alike started giving positive feedback about how things seemed different and a better place to be.

Lessons Learned

Several important issues regarding change and influence are illustrated through the 10/5 rule. 

1.    Concrete steps to achieve change work best.

The book Influencer explained that leaders who were able to make their change efforts successful identified crucial behaviors. These are the action steps needed to lead to other, less tangible change. At Adventist, the first vital behavior was to look up and acknowledge other people. While just doing that didn’t completely change the culture of the organization, it did create a ripple effect that resulted in other positive change.

2.    “Sticky” messages are effective.

Authors Chip and Dan Heath suggest in their book Made to Stick that an idea has to be “sticky” in order for people to grasp the message and then spread the word.  Adventist’s 10/5 rule was sticky – it was simple, concrete, catchy, and memorable enough to spread.

3.    Encourage shared accountability.

Lastly, accountability was a key element in the success of this initiative.  Employees throughout the organization were asked to hold each other accountable for the effective use of the 10/5 rule. Everyone in the network became mutually accountable for their own behavior and for reinforcing the rule. 

Culture by its very nature is abstract and hard to define. However, the lessons learned from Adventist is that, rather than trying to force a certain culture on an organization, it is better to focus on changing specific key behaviors, which, when changed, will ultimately lead to a successful change in the overall culture.  

Vinnie Garufi is the Director of Organization and Leadership Development for Adventist Midwest Health.  Wendy Mack is a advisor, speaker, and change catalyst who specializes in leading and communicating change.  For more articles and resources on mobilizing energy for change, visit www.WendyMack.com.