This past Friday, Veterans’ Affairs Chief Eric Shinseki resigned over the systemic conspiracy to hide excessive wait times for vets seeking medical care. Contrary to appearances of a leadership resignation, the issue in this case was more of an honest leader’s inability to affect change in the culture of employees even though he had the best of intentions and attitudes. That is, Shinseki’s values and trust in his employees had no power over the receptionists and their supervisors at VA centers nationwide who forged paperwork to cover for long waits for appointments, even in response to Shinseki’s new guidelines regarding providing care in a timely manner. Despite the VA’s excellently stated mission and core values (that even form the acronym I CARE), employees were disengaged, disenfranchised, and making harmful decisions daily. The culture had sound roots that never, well, took root.

It’s troubling to consider that a leader’s dedication to mission, vision, and core values could be so thoroughly ignored by the employees — a significant conflict of attempted versus practiced organizational culture. Because of this, however, it provides an opportunity to delve deeper into improving our understanding of leadership. If we readily acknowledge that a culture is hugely set by the leader of an organization, what happens when the levels underneath leadership don’t adhere? Did Shinseki not have the tools and resources he needed to get everyone on board — as R-Rep. Bill Flores claims? If we promote a clear definition of core values, how do we then ensure that they are practiced, especially in such a system of complex layers and bureaucracy like the government? Shinseki’s resignation is understandable in that he wasn’t able to earn the support of his employees. What, then, becomes of the employees themselves? What does a system of accountability look like in this scenario?

We’ll certainly be following VA as they replace Shinseki. Reformation of the culture of the Veterans’ Affairs Department is a tall order. We’ve seen that the Secretary’s own belief in the mission and core values are insufficient; what will be put in place to ensure that they are believed — and followed — systemically?

Pamela Kaye does PR and Communications for Stories Incorporated. Questions, comments, concerns, poetic insights? Let me know at info@storiesincorporated.com; I’d love to hear from you!

Sources

Shinseki Resignation Called First Step in Reform

Veterans’ Affairs Mission and Core Values