Mindfulness: The hallmark of a high reliability organization. Managing the Unexpected: Assuring High Performance in an Age of Complexity. Karl E. Weick and Kathleen M. Sutcliffe; Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 189 pages; $29.95
✍ Scribed by Carolan Wishall
- Publisher
- Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
- Year
- 2004
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 210 KB
- Volume
- 24
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1074-4797
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
BOOK REVIEW II
Mindfulness: the hallmark of a high reliability organization T he health care risk manager saturated in patient safety literature should place this book at the top of his or her reading list. The book's premise states that even in times of great uncertainty and peril, there are organizations operating under very difficult conditions that experience fewer than their share of errors or disasters. These high reliability organizations -referred to as HROs throughout the book -are organized in such a way that they either avoid disaster or mitigate its impact.
Managing the Unexpected states that there are five characteristics of a HRO, and these together create an organization that mindfully manages the unexpected. Mindfulness is composed of 1) a preoccupation with failure, 2) a reluctance to simplify interpretations, 3) a sensitivity to operations, 4) a commitment to resilience, and 5) a deference to expertise.
Although the book is not geared toward the health care industry, its terminology and a number of its principles will be familiar to the health care risk manager studied in patient safety. (The book briefly touches on the number of medical errors committed each year in hospitals and disturbingly notes that "hospitals aren't even considered high reliability organizations.") An organization preoccupied with failure, the authors say, encourages the reporting of errors "no matter how inconsequential," is diligent about learning from failures that are reported, and makes employees feel safe to report errors. In fact, these organizations often reward those individuals who report errors. Furthermore, an organization preoccupied with failure encourages its employees to challenge and question each other and those in authority. The authors cite the example of St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Ohio that encourages its nurses to "second-guess" its chief of cardiac surgery if there are problems.