Stephen Sylvester
Aim To use a learning organisation diagnostic tool to ascertain the organisational culture of general practices.Setting General practice.Subjects Medium and large-sized general practices in the North Tees Primary Care Trust (PCT).Method A questionnaire was developed to gauge sta¡ perceptions of the extent to which their employing practice re? ected eight characteristics of a learning organisation. The 40-item, indexed Likert scale questionnaire was completed by the practice-employed sta¡ of 15 participating practices.Results There were high levels of practice (93.8%) and sta¡ (85.5%) participation in the study. The areas identi�?�?��?½ ed as least well developed among participating practices were: fostering understanding of others’ roles; developing pluripotentiality and interdependence of skills; recognition and reinforcement of positive behaviour; seeking and valuing feedback from sta¡; development of shared values and goals; releasing the creative potential of sta¡; and learning from and working through con? ict in the team. Conclusion Measurement of organisational culture within general practices is possible and is able to identify priorities for change in practices seeking to develop as learning organisations
