The Power of Diverse Teams
Posted on August 5, 2020
Ask the Expert
Looking around Islands Hospice, we see a beautiful melting pot of individuals reflective of Hawaii’s unique multicultural landscape. Beyond ethnicity, our teams are comprised of people with different beliefs, attitudes, educational levels, ages, and experiences. Diversity is a powerful concept to embrace, and it is vital to our operations as a healthcare organization.
By leveraging the power of diversity, we can create a better atmosphere for ourselves at work and improved quality outcomes for the patients we serve. We all know that diverse teams bring more creativity and innovative ideas to the table, but here are some other overlooked benefits of diversity related to the Islands Hospice ohana and the patients we serve.
Better patient outcomes
The patients we treat come from different backgrounds, beliefs, and speak a variety of languages. At Islands Hospice, we are grateful to have team members who speak Japanese, Tagalog, Korean, and other dialects, and can converse with patients and families in the language they feel most comfortable with. Our Care Teams custom tailor each patient’s care plan to ensure fulfilling their social, cultural, and spiritual needs, which is vital to providing exceptional end of life care.
Effective teamwork
As a clinical director, it is helpful to know that I can count on my team to adapt to various environments. A strong team consists of individuals who have varying levels of experience and can view issues or situations through different lenses. Diverse teams are also better equipped to make important decisions about the care of our patients, and each member on our team should feel comfortable and included in conversations regarding our patient’s care. In the end, we are all working towards the same goal, and diverse teams help fill gaps in knowledge and experience.
High employee morale and retention
It feels good when coworkers recognize each other for having unique attributes and abilities. By verbally expressing the merits of different points of view and contributions of our team members, people feel encouraged to weigh in and share new ideas or perspectives. This acceptance can boost self-confidence, making people feel valued and that they belong to a cohesive unit. When people feel good, they want to do good, and high morale helps to assure that our employees are coming to work motivated, excited, and ready to serve our patients and each other.
I am proud to work for a company that is inclusive and values diversity at all levels of the organization. By recognizing the power of diversity in everyday situations, we can build an outstanding company culture, that brings out the best that Islands Hospice has to provide to our patients and families.