Don’t ignore cultural fit

Despite popular belief, compensation isn’t everything to today’s physicians. As more physicians move from private practice to an employed model, health care organizations will be challenged to integrate new physicians with different expectations related to cultural attributes such as accountability, autonomy, work environment and communication styles.

How important do you think culture is to the physicians in your organization? Do you think there are any gaps in how you and your physicians view the culture in your organization? Do you believe it is necessary to invest in assessing and developing cultural fit?

You might be surprised by what we learned in our recent survey conducted in partnership with Physician Wellness Services. The survey examined the influence of 14 cultural attributes on physicians’ overall satisfaction, and their perceptions about their organization’s performance related to those cultural attributes.

We discovered gaps between physician satisfaction and their organization’s performance. Many of the attributes that physicians ranked as most important to their overall satisfaction (rated 8 or above on a scale of 1 to 10) were ranked relatively low in terms of organizational performance with the attribute; the most substantial gaps occur with:

1. Transparent communication
2. Collaborative leadership style
3. Organizational adaptation to change

We were particularly concerned to learn that administrators underestimate the frequency with which physician respondents said that lack of cultural fit has prompted them to leave or decline a position. Since the cost of turnover and prolonged vacancy can cost a practice as much as $100,000 per month, it is vital to understand the influence of organizational culture and its impact on a physician’s decision to join – and stay – with your practice. This is especially critical in the first three years of joining a practice, when recruits are highly vulnerable to turnover.

Physicians want to know that their organization is progressive, particularly in today’s evolving health care landscape. The survey makes it clear that a significant number of physicians are not satisfied with their organization’s ability to communicate effectively and transparently, provide collaborative leadership, and adapt to changes.

Organizations can help fill these gaps by more objectively assessing cultural fit of physician candidates with these simple steps:

• Define the attributes that make physicians successful in your organization.
• Screen effectively for those traits and beware of red flags that might indicate a poor fit with your culture.
• Conduct behavioral interviewing to evaluate teamwork and team leadership qualities.
• Onboard effectively to educate new recruits on your organization’s day-to-day culture.
• Assign a mentor and create a formalized program.
• Offer flexibility and work/life balance.
• Identify your organization’s physician leaders to champion transformation and promote positive cultural changes.

For more information on workplace culture and its influence on physician recruitment and retention – or to request a full copy of the survey report – click here or contact Emily Velders at (800) 296-2698 ext. 64508 or evelders@cejkasearch.com.