Building a Culture of Ownership in Healthcare: The Invisible Architecture of Core Values, Attitude, and Self-Empowerment

Using construction as their metaphor, authors Joe Tye and Bob Dent make a compelling case that a healthcare organization’s invisible architecture—a foundation of core values, a superstructure of organizational culture, and the interior finish of workplace attitude—is no less important than its visible architecture. Further, they assert that culture will not change unless people change, and people will not change unless they are inspired to do so and
given the right tools.

This fully updated second edition of Building a Culture of Ownership in Healthcare takes readers on a journey from accountability to ownership—providing a proven model, strategies, and practical solutions to help improve organizational culture in the healthcare setting. Learn how investing in your organization and your people can enable a significant, successful change in productivity; employee engagement; nurse satisfaction, recruitment, and retention; quality of care; patient satisfaction; and financial outcomes.

New to this edition:
• Expanded coverage of the importance of culture assessment, including details on the validated VCI-17 Culture Assessment Survey
• A deep dive into the four dimensions of transformational leadership
• New examples of values and culture in action
• Updated chapter questions to facilitate discussion at the unit level

Joe Tye, MHA, MBA, is Founder and Head Coach of Values Coach Inc., which provides consulting, training, and coaching on values-based leadership and cultural transformation for hospital, corporate, and association clients. He is a leading authority on values-based leadership and positive cultural transformation and is the author or coauthor of 15 books and more than a hundred articles, webinars, and video programs on personal achievement, effective leadership, and organizational culture. Tye is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the University of Iowa College of Public Health's Department of Health Management and Policy. He created The Twelve Core Action Values, a train-the-trainer course on values-based life and leadership skills. At Values Coach, Tye and his team use the tools and techniques described in this book to help healthcare organizations build a stronger and more vibrant culture of ownership on a foundation of values. Before founding Values Coach, Tye was Chief Operating Officer for a large community teaching hospital. On the volunteer front, he was founding president of the Association of Air Medical Services and a leading activist fighting against unethical tobacco industry marketing practices. He and his wife Sally have two adult children and live on a small farmstead in Iowa; their second home is a tent in the Grand Canyon.

Bob Dent, DNP, RN, FACHE, FAAN, FAONL, is the Vice President, Patient Care & Chief Nursing Officer for three hospitals-Emory Decatur, Emory Hillandale, and Emory Long Term Acute Care in Decatur, Georgia-as part of Emory Healthcare. Prior to joining Emory Healthcare in 2019, he was Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Midland Health in Midland, Texas. He maintains academic appointments with Emory University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, and the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Bob is a Past President of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (formerly AONE). Dent's career spans more than 30 years in such roles as nursing assistant, LVN, RN, assistant director of nursing, director of nursing, licensed nursing home administrator, CNO, dean of health sciences at a community college, COO, and system CNO. Dent is the recipient of Modern Healthcare's Class of 2006 Up and Comers in Healthcare Administration; Texas Organization of Nurse Executives 2013 Excellence in Leadership Award; Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Distinguished Alumni 2014; and 2016 Richard Hader Visionary Leader Award. Dent academically progressed in nursing, completing a vocational nursing program; associate degree in nursing (ADN); bachelor of science in nursing (BSN); master of business administration (MBA) with an emphasis in healthcare management; and his doctor of nursing practice from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. He is a Board Certified, Advanced Nurse Executive (NEA-BC); Certified Executive in Nursing Practice (CENP); a Fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE); a Fellow with the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN); and a Fellow with the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (FAONL). Over the course of his career, Dent combined his expertise in nursing and leadership to author four books, book chapters, many journal articles, and presentations related to culture, improving workplace environments, interprofessional collaboration, and nurse staffing.