Administrator’s View: Growing an Enhanced Patient-Centered
Culture Within a Clinical Department at an Academic Medical Center
By Ron Dearinger
Administrator
Webster’s Dictionary defines accountability as “subject to having to report, explain, or justify: being answerable, responsible.” The Oz Principle (2) redefines accountability as, “a personal choice to rise above one’s circumstances and demonstrate the ownership necessary for achieving desired results.” Additionally, the Oz Principle espouses the idea
that accountability is most effective when people in an organization share ownership of circumstances and results. This is an aspect the customary definition of accountability fails to take into account as it assigns sole responsibility to the individual without acknowledging the shared accountability that typifies organizational behavior.
Just like Dorothy’s search for the Wizard of Oz for enlightenment, individuals and organizations also seek out the wizard that will save them from the maladies that afflict their workplace. However, the wizard is just a distraction. And, just as the characters in the famous story ultimately
discover that their victim mentality was their greatest stumbling block and that their heart’s desire was always within reach, the authors exhort individuals, work teams and organizations to rise above the thin line that separates high performance and delighted patients from organizational and
individual mediocrity.
Above The Line, you’ll find the Steps to Accountability which include in chronological order: See It, Own It, Solve It, and Do It. The first step, “See It”, means acknowledging the problem; to “Own It” is to assume responsibility for the problem and the results; “Solve It” means ...