Assessment of the Organizational Culture of Tripler Army Medical Center and ItsImpact on Implementing Total Quality Management

摘要

Implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) is a major challenge facinghealth care organizations in the United States today. Understanding the organization's culture or climate is an essential element in initiating any successful quality process. Cultural audits evaluate the current state of an organization, assessing a multitude of factors and can lead to fact-based, positive recommendations for improvement. The purpose of this research project was two-fold: identify the current cultural profile of Tripler Army Medical Center staff members to establish a baseline on the existing culture, and determine if any cultural differentiation exists among occupational categories. A quantitative and analytical methodology was used in evaluating the corporate culture. The data collecting instrument was a modified Litwin and Stringer Organization Climate Questionnaire which was distributed to a stratified random sample. Statistical analysis included both description and inferential methodologies. Tripler had a relatively positive cultural profile on seven of the ten construct variables. There was tremendous consensus between occupational categories on all variables. The lack of variation between groups indicates the climate described is strongly representative of the entire population. Benchmarking the current cultural blueprint against the desired cultural qualities is the basis for improvement programs.