Want to transform workplace culture? Here is a great example of a leader who understands why a strong people culture is so important and how to go about building it. Dr. Williams shares the beginning of their journey of transforming workplace culture in this video.
It’s an exciting time to be at the UNT Health Science Center.
Dr. Michael Williams, DO, MD, MBA and president of the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC), knows the power of a values-based culture. Before accepting his new post at UNTHSC in 2013, Dr. Williams served as CEO of Hill Country Memorial Hospital in Fredericksburg, Texas from 2008 to 2012. Following the values-based culture work under his leadership the hospital received numerous awards for quality, including: the Malcolm Baldrige National Best Practice for Leadership 2013; Top 10 Finalist for the 2013 Malcolm Baldrige National Presidential Quality Award; and designation as a Truven Top 100 U.S. Hospital in 2012 and 2013.
Dr. Williams says:
“When I arrived [at UNTHSC] at the start of 2013, I quickly discovered that we had a broken culture. However, I also saw that the one consistent strength, and our true differentiator, is our great people. So as we began to focus strategically, we made the creation of a people plan the most urgent goal on our list. And part of the people plan is a values-based culture.”
He started with a Values Blueprint®
In the early stage of UNTHSC’s values journey, People Ink facilitated a Values Blueprint® Workshop with a group of 30 hand-selected people representing faculty, administration, leadership, research, and the community. During the two-day workshop, team members identified UNTHSC core values and behaviors. In his opening remarks, Dr. Williams spoke to Values Blueprint® team about the difficult work ahead…
“Just as concrete and steel are laid down as the foundation before a great house is built, our values will establish the foundation for our culture. The work we accomplish will outlast us. It will shape the Health Science Center for years to come. It is ‘heart’ work.”
Dr. Williams knows that his leadership and communication are critical to stay the course for a sustainable values journey. He has established a regular video blog to get the message out. In his first video blog, Initial Steps on our Values Journey, he explains the process the Values Blueprint® Team went through to reach consensus on the core values.
For more information about the People Ink Values Blueprint® process see our website: ValuesBlueprintPro
