We sought to understand the Selleck SB203580 Values in play when the organization was at its best and when it was most challenged. Narratives afford the teller and the analyst an opportunity to witness and re-live the private professional human engagements that usually remain invisible and unknowable;6 they help in describing

the context, culture, and complexity of organizations7–10 and open a “window” into the day-to-day lived experiences and manners in which professionals make decisions.11 Narratives embody the story-teller’s values,12 and their analysis allows the researcher to understand real situations13 and Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical uncover stories that would otherwise remain below the surface.14 STUDY QUESTIONS In collaboration

with a senior vice-president in the organization (author S.S.I.), we identified the following research questions: What values do high-performing frontline employees in this organization embody when things go well in their day-to-day work (value-affirming)? What values do high-performing frontline employees in this organization Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical embody when their values are challenged (value-challenging)? What are the characteristics of the challenging situations? How are they managed/resolved? METHODS This was a qualitative study based on the WLNs elicited during 150 face-to-face semistructured interviews lasting 30–45 minutes. The developmental process was based on appreciative inquiry (AI), an organizational Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical change strategy that focuses on what organizations do well and asks how to get more out of what works, rather than fixing what is broken.15 Given the focus on what is positive in this organization, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical the research team decided to interview high-performing employees, in this case

defined as having been recognized for their contributions through awards or community consensus. The study was approved by the hospital’s Board of Directors Committee on Values, Ethics, Social Responsibility Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and Pastoral Services. Twenty employees from the organization volunteered and were trained to conduct the interviews. The interviewers were: 16 chaplains, 3 program directors, and 1 social worker. All were trained in AI methods CYTH4 during a single 3-hour session. Interview Guide To avoid inadvertently biasing the responses, the interviewers were given a scripted interview guide and instructed to follow it as written. The interview guide included: personal meaning and commitment, an appreciative value-affirming WLN about a time/situation/occasion when they and the organization were at their best, and a time when they felt their values were challenged. All interviews were digitally recorded. The recordings were transcribed verbatim and checked by the research team for accuracy. Sampling Snowball sampling was used to select high-performing frontline staff from three of the hospitals which comprise the academic health center.