Cameron, K - Compassion Conference - Stanford 4-13

7/30/2019 Cameron, K - Compassion Conference - Stanford 4-13

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Kim Cameron, University of Michigan

2013 Kim Cameron & The University of Michigan All Rights Reserved

Compassion and Organizational

Performance

Compassion and Business Conference

Stanford University30 April 2013

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| | |Negative Deviance Normal Positive Deviance

Indiv idual :

Physiological Illness Health Vitality

Psychological Illness Health Flow

Organizat ional:

Economics Unprofitable Profitable Generous

Effectiveness Ineffective Effective Excellent

Efficiency Inefficient Efficient Extraordinary

Quality Error-prone Reliable PerfectEthics Unethical Ethical Benevolent

Relationships Harmful Helpful Honoring

Adaptation Threat-rigidity Coping Flourishing

Deficit gaps Abundance gaps

A Deviance Continuum

SOURCE: Cameron, 2003.

What factors predict

positively deviant

performance in

organizations?


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Research on Compassion in Organizations

RESEARCH QUESTIONS:

Does organizationalcompassion exist? If so . . .

What is the effect of compassion on organizational

performance?

OBSERVATIONS:

Most studies of compassion occur at the individual level of analysis.

(For an exception, see Dutton and colleagues, 2008)

No assessment instrument was available to measure compassion at

the organization level of analysis. 3


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Investigations

INSTRUMENT:

= .95

STUDY 1 SAMPLE:

40 business units in the financial services industry

Measures at year 1 and at year 2 Outcomes: employee turnover, organizational climate, financial

performance, senior executive rankings of performance

STUDY 2 SAMPLE:

29 health care units Measures at year 1 and at year 2

Outcomes: patient satisfaction, recommendations, turnover, support

of nurses, climate, quality of care, hospital affairs, resource adequacy,

physician-nurse relations,4

SOURCE: Cameron, Mora, Leutscher, & Calarco, 2011

We help people who are facing difficulty.

We care for fellow employees who are struggling.

We provide emotional support to each other.

We honor one anothers talents.We show compassion for each other.

We show kindness to one another.

We build strong interpersonal relationships.


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Outcomes Financial Services

Change in

positive

organizational

practices

Change in six

measures of

financial

performance

Average Assets Sales

Lost Customers Cash flow

Revenues Expenses

R2 = .45



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Outcomes - Financial Services

High

Scores in

Positive

Practices

Voluntary

Turnover

p < .01

EmployeeEngagementp < .0001

Customer

Retention

p < .01

Top

Management

Evaluations

r = .75



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Outcomes Health Care

7

3.6

3.75

4.0

Year 1 Year 2

Sco

res

onCompa

ssionand

OtherVirtuousP

ractices



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Improvement in Health Care

Patient Satisfaction26

Willingness to Recommend26

Voluntary Turnover8

Climate36

Participation38

Quality of Care29

Manager Support38Resource Adequacy34

12 Physician/Nurse Relations

Percent improvement over a two year period

SOURCE: Cameron, Mora, Leutscher, & Calarco 2011


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Caveats

STUDIES 1 AND 2 Compassion does not exist in isolation but in collaboration with other

virtuous practices. Compassion does not operate alone.

Caring relationships

Forgiveness Mutual inspiration

Meaningfulness and purpose

Respect, integrity, gratitude

STUDY 3 (early on)

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Compassion

and Virtuous

Practices

Organizational

PerformanceEmployee

Engagement

Average

Correlation = .70


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Questions, Yeah Buts, Comments

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Documents

Cameron, K - Compassion Conference - Stanford 4-13