The culture to cultivate

A large hospital group has lots of things to worry about. One of them is sepsis, the whole-body shutdown that can occur when a virulent infection hits a weakened immune system. It's the number one cause of death in American hospitals. Another is pressure ulcers, a sure sign that immobile patients aren't being properly cared for and also a gateway to mortality. Every hospital out there is fighting these and other problems by asking staff members to adhere to best practices. At Kaiser Permanente we're making good progress. That isn't because we follow processes that are unique to us. The right protocols for patient care are universally shared. It's not because of technology either, although we have invested in plenty of that. I believe the real difference is in our culture. We have worked to instill a culture of continuous improvement. Our culture lets our employees know that if they see a way to do something better, they should take the initiative to point it out. The collective pursuit of continuous improvement is powerful not only because of the performance gains it yields, but also, I think, because it's the only cultural value that could unify an organization as large and diverse as ours.