Valuable Work
When a round robin of "What's New" got to me at a recent department head meeting I said, "We're working on a new C. diff algorithm that screens for toxin-producing antigen and not just the toxin." Amid blank stares one manager laughed, "English please!"
Such befuddlement is a good-natured acknowledgement that the lab is a technical, even obtuse, department. And while this example is somewhat artificial – I had only a moment to explain what was new – it has a point. If success depends on peer acceptance, cooperation, and support, then it's crucial that what we do is perceived as valuable work. In other words, our work has to reflect values shared by other departments.
Values are guiding principles that answer the question, "Why did you do that?" As one website puts it, "A values statement reflects the core ideology of an organization, the deeply held values that do not change over time." The more people share values, the more decisions make sense. Ideally, values make choices clear for all employees; likewise, values are inferred from decisions.
Let's suppose, for instance, your hospital has a core value of putting patients and family members first. The above could be told as a story. "A recent patient with C. diff disease spent much of her time here in isolation, making it difficult for friends and family to visit. We're working on fixing that by making sure we can confirm the disease in-house. Some patients may be taken off precautions sooner. This way, the patients and family members will know we are putting them first."
There isn't anything wrong with the first way of stating the news, if quality is a core value. But the second puts it in personal terms that everyone relates to. You're likely to get nods around the room, cooperation of nursing, and support when someone asks about the change. Stories are powerful tools to drive values home. Making it personal makes it everyone's story.
Check out "Meet the Bloggers" for our personal stories. And please share your own.