Strengthening a culture of respect and engagement – (SCORE)
The workgroup process, Strengthening a Culture Of Respect and Engagement (SCORE) was developed to help workgroups overcome forces that weaken their culture of civility and respect. One rude encounter can ruin your day. You expect people to behave professionally at work, and to a very large extent, they do. People usually share information or give direction without being pushy. Importantly, their words, gestures, facial expressions convey respect. People accept you as part of a community with a shared mission that may be treating patients, creating a project, or developing new knowledge. They act as if you are all working together on this mission and everyone has something to contribute.
But not always. Some encounters are really unpleasant. And those events have an out-sized impact. Even when they occur rarely, they can shape the workgroup’s culture.
- First, the fact that rude action violates expectations grabs everyone’s attention.
- Second, rudeness has an emotional impact. People react by feeling angry, ashamed, or surprised. Those feelings linger long after the encounter. People often lie awake ruminating over
the event. - Third, rudeness prompts people to respond rudely. These reactions can spiral out of control.
- Fourth, when a rude action is allowed to stand, a workgroup becomes a place where people act that way. It gives permission to behave badly towards one another.
Leaders cannot rely on these situations to fix themselves. Recovering from a culture of disrespect requires deliberate action.
The SCORE program targets the workgroup culture. It helps workgroups to build on the positive to improve how they work together.
SCORE Overview
SCORE occurs through five sessions, scheduled 3 or 4 weeks apart. The SCORE program invites all workgroup members to participate in the sessions. SCORE begins with an employee survey to identify the workgroup’s strengths and challenges and to provide a benchmark for assessing progress.
The Objective
The outcome of SCORE is increased respect among coworkers as well as a greater capacity for the group to address future challenges to its community. Progress is assessed through a baseline and follow-up survey as well as through institutional data on complaints, retention, and incidents.