Research Article
Toward Understanding Culture and Judgment in an Academic Surgical Department with Assessments using the Competing Values Framework and Hartman Value Profile: A Case Study
Vic Velanovich*, Michael A Harringto and David J Smith
Department of Surgery, University of South Florida, USA
*Corresponding author: Vic Velanovich, Department of General Surgery, The University of South Florida, One Tampa General Circle, F145, Tampa, FL 33606, USA
Published: 27 Dec, 2016
Cite this article as: Velanovich V, Harringto MA, Smith DJ.
Toward Understanding Culture and
Judgment in an Academic Surgical
Department with Assessments using
the Competing Values Framework and
Hartman Value Profile: A Case Study.
Clin Surg. 2016; 1: 1264.
Abstract
Background: Understanding both the culture of an organization and its members’ judgment
can enhance a leader’s ability to meet the organization’s goals. We were interested in whether
“Organizational Cultural Assessment Instrument” (OCAI) and “Hartman Value Profile” (HVP) will
provide insights into our prevailing culture and its members’ judgment capacity.
Methods: Faculty members of the Department of Surgery at the University of South Florida
completed two instruments: The OCAI and HVP. The OCAI asked 6 questions in each of 4 domains
assessing present and preferred culture of the member. The relative proportion of each domain
ranges from 0 to 100. The domains are the “clan” culture, the “adhocracy” culture, the “market”
culture, and the “hierarchy” culture. The respondent has to assess both the present state and their
preferred state of their organization. The HVP measures judgment using two sets of lists of items
that the individual must rank which lead to an assessment of intrinsic judgment, extrinsic judgment,
and strategic judgment. Scores range from 0 (best) to 80+.
Results: The OCAI mean scores for present state: Clan domain 15.6, Adhocracy domain 19.0,
Market domain 38.2, and Hierarchy domain 25.7. The preferred state: Clan 31.3, Adhocracy 26.5;
Market 24.3 and Hierarchy 17.6. The mean HVP work-side scores: Intrinsic 9, Extrinsic 11, and
Strategic 17. There was also a wide range of responses.
Conclusion: We interpret that the faculty members feel that the culture undervalues people and
innovations and overvalues external competition and bureaucratic procedures, compared to how
they would like the Department to be. It appears that the members have good judgment capacity for
relationships and work capacity. These results have allowed us to reflect on the Department’s culture
and members capabilities.
Keywords: Academic surgery; Organizational culture; Personal judgment; Competing values framework; Hartmann value profile
Introduction
Organizations in any human endeavor have cultures. Although there many ways to define
culture, one of the definitions provided the Merriam-Webster dictionary [1] is “the set of shared
attitudes, values, goals, and practices by that characterizes an institution or organization.” More
specifically in an organization, Schein [2] proposes that “organizational culture is the pattern of
shared basic assumptions-invented, discovered, or developed by a given group as it learns to cope
with its problems of external adaption and internal integration-that has worked well enough to
be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive,
think, and feel in relation to those problems.” The culture of an organization may affect the thinking
and behavior of every member. From the standpoint of leadership, acceptance and performance of
assigned tasks may be influenced by the culture of the organization.
Within any organization, however, what makes up the culture are people. Individuals come
into an organization with talents, skills, past experiences, and a set of beliefs. They have varying
abilities to assess situations and make judgments. These experiences have effects on the individual’s
assimilation into an organization’s culture.
An organization may not achieve its goals when there is conflict
within an organization and a malalignment of expectations. Therefore,
it is essential that leaders choose members who are compatible with
the culture of the organization and who have the necessary judgment
to understand and execute its strategic goals. Although the academic
surgical leadership may be excellent in assessing a candidate’s
professional bona fides, these leaders may not have the tools necessary
to assess a member’s judgment and cultural affinity. The purpose of
this study evaluate if two tools, the “Organization Cultural Assessment
Instrument” and the “Hartman Value Profile,” can provide insights
to department leaders on the state of their department’s culture and
judgment values of its members.
Table 1
Figure 1
Materials and Methods
All members of the Department of Surgery in the University of
South Florida received the two following instruments in the spring
of 2014. The Department of Surgery consisted at the time of five
divisions: General Surgery, Trauma/Acute Care Surgery, Plastic
Surgery, Vascular Surgery, and Pediatric Surgery, comprising a total
of 27 faculty members at the time of the instruments administration.
The purpose of each instrument was presented to the members. It
was emphasized that the instruments were to be used to understand
the culture of the department and to give each member insights as to
their judgment. It was emphasized that the information would not
be used in a punitive manner and that the leaders of the department
would not know any individual results because the instruments were
anonymous. The authors have had education and prior experience
with these instruments; therefore, it was felt that these instruments
would provide valuable insights.
The Organization cultural assessment instrument
The Organizational Cultural Assessment Instrument (OCAI)
is based on the Competing Values Framework as developed by
Cameron and Quinn [3]. Although the OCAI has not been validated
specifically for academic medicine [3,4], it has previously been used
in the healthcare setting [5,6]. In this framework, an organization has
varying levels of four core value sets: Clan, Adhocrary, Hierarchy, and
Market. Each set has its own general characteristics which help define
it. The Clan culture focuses on internal maintenance with flexibility,
concern for people, and sensitivity to customers, where the workplace
is friendly and leaders are considered mentors. The organization is
held together by loyalty and tradition. Success is defined in terms of
sensitivity to customers and concern for people. The organization
places a premium on teamwork, participation, and consensus. The
Adhocracy culture focuses on external position of the organization
vis-à-vis with its competitors, but having a high degree of flexibility.
It is a dynamic, entrepreneurial and creative place to work, and its
leaders are considered innovators and risk takers. The organization is
held together by a commitment to experimentation and innovation.
Success means introducing unique and new products or services,
and it encourages individual initiative and freedom. The Hierarchy
culture focuses on internal maintenance with a need for stability and
control. This culture involves a formalized and structured work place,
and its leaders are consider organizers, coordinators, and efficiencyminded.
It is held together by formal rules and policies. Success is
defined as dependability, reliability, and efficiency. It values secure
employment and predictability. Lastly, the Market culture focuses on
external position of the organization vis-à-vis its competitors with a
need for organizational control. It is bottom-lining results-oriented,
and its leaders are considered tough competitors. The culture is held
together by the need to win, success is defined by market share and
penetration, and it emphasizes hard-driving competitiveness.
Organizations which score highly in the Clan and Adhocracy
cultures tend to value personal flexibility and discretion. Those which
score highly in the Adhocracy and Market cultures tend to value a
focus on external factors which may affect the organization and its
differentiation from other organizations. Those that score highly in the
Market and Hierarchy cultures tend to value organizational stability
and process control. Finally, those that score highly in the Hierarchy
and Clan cultures value an internal focus on personnel development,
integration of personnel into the organization and the organization’s
processes (Figure 1). No one culture is considered superior or inferior
to any other. Each organization has a varying amount of each culture.
If an organization has none of the characteristics of a culture, then it
scores a 0; if it is all that culture is will score 100. Organizations are
not all of a single type of culture but rather will be a mixture of all
cultures to varying degrees.
The OCAI is a survey asking members of the organization to
assess six key dimensions of the organization’s culture in its present
state and in the state the member prefers the organization to be.
There are four items in each dimension. The member will assign
a value from 0 to 100 for each item, but the total of all four items
must be exactly 100. For example, if the member assesses item an in
dimension 1 as 100, then necessarily the values for items B, C, and
D must be 0. If the member assesses it at 25, then the sum of the
assessment for items B, C, and D must be 75. This is the essence of
the “competing” values-when one value goes up, another or others
must go down. The survey used in this study was adopted from the
one provided by Cameron and Quinn3 to be applied to an academic
department of surgery (Appendix I).
The Hartman value profile
The Hartman Value Profile [7] (HVP) is based on the study of
axiology. Axiology is the philosophical study of value, specifically,
how people determine the value of different things. The HVP was
developed to assess an individual’s values and judgment. It has been
validated extensively and has been previously used in the healthcare
setting [8,9]. The HVP is an axiological inventory that measures a
person’s capacity to make value judgments about the world and one’s
self. It is composed of two parts: 18 items pertaining to the world
and 18 phrases related to the self. Specifically, the “self” portion
concentrates on one’s work (Appendix II). From these two rankings,
a profile of three types of judgment can be constructed: Intrinsic
Value Judgment (I), which is the capacity for excellence in relational
judgment as evidenced simply in “good people skills,” the capacity to
integrate with others, and the capacity to “read” people. A stronger
(i.e., lower) score tends to reveal caring, respect, and tolerance.
Extrinsic Value Judgment (E), which is the capacity for excellence
in tasks, projects, processes, and basic implementation of skill set
competencies, a capacity to perform tasks effectively, strong work
ethic/dependability, high expectations of performance of others, and
high trainability with new dynamics of practice or technology. Finally,
Systemic Value Judgment (S) is the capacity for excellence in abstract
domains of work and life such as long range planning, strategic
visioning, structural integrations, implications, and consequences;
this reflects the capacity to see “the big picture” with its implications
and consequences. The HVP is divided into two parts: part I, “The
Work Side,” focuses on value judgments as it relates primarily to the
world of work or the world that is “external” to the person; and part
II, “The Self Side,” focuses on judgments that an individual makes
concerning oneself on a more personal, “internal” side. Scores range
from 0 to 160, with lower scores reflecting greater capacity for good
judgment.
The OCAI was given to all members of the department with an
explanation as to its purpose and returned to the first author after
completed anonymously. The first author was responsible for scoring
the OCAI. The HVP was administered on-line through the Hartman
Institute and results were returned as aggregate scores, although each
member of the Department received their own scores.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Results of the Department of Surgery members’ assessment of the present cultural state using the OCAI.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Results of the Department of Surgery members’ assessment of the
preferred cultural state using the OCAI.
Results
Of the 27 members of the Department of Surgery, 16 (59%)
returned the OCAI, while all members completed the HVP
instrument.
The OCAI
Figure 2 presents the results of the OCAI for the Department’s
present state with each dimension’s average score, plus the individual
high and low scores to assess the range. The average scores were
Clan culture 15.6, Adhocracy culture 19.0, Market culture 38.2, and
Hierarchy culture 25.7. Because the highest scores are in the Market
and Hierarchy cultures, it appears that the members who responded
to the OCAI believe that the department values organizational
stability and process control. Figure 3 presents the preferred state for
the department. The average scores were Clan 31.3, Adhocracy 26.5;
Market 24.3 and Hierarchy 17.6. Because the preferred scores are in
the Clan and Adhocracy cultures, it appears that the members would
rather the department place more value on individual discretion and
flexibility.
The HVP
The average HVP Intrinsic Value Judgment (I) score for the
department was 9 (range 2-20). The average in the general population
is 40, with a range of 0-80+. According to the Hartman Institute,
the average for healthcare is 18, with ideal scores for healthcare
paradigms ranging from 0-20. The “ideal” score is based on the
Hartman Institute database for different organizations and industries
on which individual scores appeared to be most successful and
productive. This score implies that the members of the department
demonstrate better than the industry standard judgment potential for
advancing relationships and human dynamic components of work
environment. The average Extrinsic Value Judgment (E) score was
11, (range 4-24). The average in the general population is 40, with a
range of 0-80+. According to the Hartman Institute, the average for
healthcare is 14, with ideal scores for healthcare paradigms ranging
from 0-20. This score implies that the members of the department
demonstrate better than the industry standard potential for advancing
tasks in an orderly, efficient, effective, and economical manner. The
correspondence of strong I/Intrinsic Value Judgment and E/Extrinsic
Value Judgment creates a strong ability to see potential in situations
and people and to understand how to best actualize this potential.
The average Systemic Value Judgment (S) score was 17 (range 6-35).
The average in the general population is 40, with a range of 0-80+.
According to the Hartman Institute, the average for healthcare is
34, with ideal scores for healthcare paradigms ranging from 0-25.
Because this is the weakest score compared to the I and E scores,
it may get overshadowed by the other domains. The table presents
subset analysis of the component scores of the HVP.
Discussion
We have reported our experience using two instruments to
assess the culture of our academic department of surgery and the
judgment of the individuals within it. What we have found is that
type of culture presently within the department is viewed as weighted
toward a hierarchical/market culture more prone to stability and
control, whereas what is desired is a culture more toward the clan/
adhocracy culture with more of an emphasis on individual flexibility
and discretion. On average, the individuals within the department
show highly developed qualities of intrinsic, extrinsic and strategic
judgment well higher than population norms and well within the ideal
ranges for healthcare. Subset component analysis (Table 1), however,
reveals that lower than ideal scores in the “Innovation/Creativity”
subset may reflect too many unknowns, uncertainties, and “gray
areas” within the larger organization. Although the average “morale/
attitude/engagement” score is good, there are a few outliers who can
adversely affect this component. The “self-expectation” component
may lead to a culture more of criticism than compliment and cause
too much focus on failure and blame. However, the “ability to adapt”
component shows the group has a strong capacity to adapt to the
environment. The emphasis on quality shows strong commitment
to quality work. Lastly, the “self-esteem” component suggests that
there are tendencies for “ego” to “mask” a lack of self-awareness, selfregard
and self-confidence.
After obtaining these scores, it naturally begs the question as to
what to do with this information. Organizational culture has been
shown to affect organizational performance in healthcare delivery
[10-15], patient satisfaction [5], research [16], teaching [17], member
satisfaction and turnover [18], and financial and market pressures
[19,20]. In addition, culture can affect the relationship between
the dean and department [21,22], between the dean and hospital
administration [23], on-boarding a new department chair [24], and
the ability to address significant issues within the department and
university [25]. With respect to the OCAI, Cameron and Quinn [3]
provide a mechanism to promote cultural change. This mechanism
is quite intensive requiring members to fully engage in defining
what, in our case, it means and does not mean to move more toward
clan and adhocracy cultures and away from market and hierarchy
cultures. In addition, because both the OACI and HVP were returned
anonymously and only in aggregate, we are unable to correlate
individual scores with individual faculty performance. The results
were provided to the faculty members for their own consideration.
This is still a work in progress. A pilot project within the
Division of General Surgery has exposed difficulties in the process
(unpublished data). The first difficulty is the time-intensiveness of the
process. In busy academic surgical practices, with both research and
teaching commitments, it has proven to be difficult to bring together
the members to discuss the cultural changes necessary. Secondly,
the process requires honesty and integrity, with a commitment
to achieving what is best for the organization. Individuals with
personal, “hidden” agendas can sabotage the process of cultural
change. Although the department’s leadership sees the value in
moving toward more of a clan culture, how to accomplish this is still
under consideration. Lastly, it requires political commitment from
the university and hospital, which may not be forthcoming do to
institutional or financial boundaries.
As for the HVP, information from it allows organizational leaders
to place individuals with the right judgment skills into positions to
maximize their effectiveness. Within our department, the Division of
Plastic Surgery has used the HVP to help in the resident selection
process and has shown a correlation between it and resident
performance Harrington MA et al. [7], unpublished data. As with the
OCAI, there may be a variety of barriers which prevent leaders from
using it to place the right people in the right roles which could be
related to institutional structure, personal goals of the members, or
political considerations. Nevertheless, the best use of the HVP may
be in the initial hiring process, because it may allow for selection of
candidates that best fit the organization’s culture and goals [9].
Neither the OCAI or HVP are the only instruments available, nor
do we claim that they are the best available. Scott et al. [26] reviewed
13 cultural assessment instruments which could be applicable to
healthcare organizations, including the OCAI. What they found is
that there is neither uniformity of definitions nor what is assessed.
In addition, each has varying degrees of resource intensiveness.
The HVP is certainly not the only assessment tool of personnel. An
internet search will produce a plethora of companies and instruments
assessing all manner of personnel traits, such a personality, integrity,
emotional intelligence, psychological suitability, competency, etc. It
is certainly unclear as to how well or poorly each would perform in an
academic surgical setting.
There are many limitations to this experience. First, we do not
know if the instruments chosen for this assessment are the best ones
for what we hoped to learn. Second, it requires good faith on the part
of the members of the department to respond to the survey honestly
and with the goal of improvement department culture. It is unclear
what other motives could have affected the results. Third, with respect
to the OCAI, we had a response rate of 59%. It is unknown how the
non-responders would have assessed the Department’s culture.
Lastly, the HVP data are aggregate data; we cannot correlate the HVP
to the OCAI in a more granular way.
Conclusion
The case study of our culture and members’ judgment provided our leadership additional information. We are still trying to determine how best to respond to this information. Much work still needs to be done to understand the culture and skill sets within academic medicine. We hope to use the data to address needed cultural change and placing individuals in the positions that would maximize their skill sets.
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