I was texting my son last night while watching college football on the television. When I asked him what he had been doing, he told me that he had just finished watching the movie, "V for Vendetta". I have never seen this movie, but I have seen enough trailers to know that the movie's protagonist wears a "Guy Fawkes" mask. "Ahhh - today is November 5, Guy Fawkes Day," I texted. I have to admit, I thought I was being particularly clever here and didn't think he would make the connection. To my surprise, my son texted back, "Yes, I know. Ever since we watched 'V for Vendetta' in my high school religion class on November 5th, I have made it an annual tradition." In other words, not only was I not being clever, my son apparently knew more about Guy Fawkes than I thought.
Guy Fawkes was one of the English Catholics who helped plan and (unsuccessfully) orchestrate the infamous Gunpowder Plot of 1605 (also known as the Jesuit Treason). The plan was to blow up the House of Lords and assassinate King James I of England, and in so doing, install James' daughter, Elizabeth (a Catholic) as the new head of state. The plot failed, and the perpetrators (including Guy Fawkes) were hanged, drawn, and quartered. Apparently, Fawkes fell from the scaffolding where he was to be hanged, breaking his neck and dying before being drawn and quartered. His name has become synonymous with the annual celebration of the failure of the Gunpowder Plot on November 5, now known as "Guy Fawkes Day." Apparently, the movie, "V for Vendetta" is an allegory for oppressive government, but that is a discussion for another day!
What struck me about this entire conversation was the importance of annual traditions - the English celebrate "Guy Fawkes Day" every year on November 5th. My son watches the movie, "V for Vendetta" every year on November 5th, remembering fondly one of his favorite high school teachers. Conceptually, we use traditions to share our common links with the past. The word tradition comes from the Latin noun, traditio which is based on the Latin verb, tradere, meaning to transmit, to hand over, to give for safekeeping. Traditions are beliefs and customs that originated in the past that are passed down from one generation to the next, more or less in the same form in which they originated.
I frequently talk about "high reliability organizations" and use the United States Navy's aircraft carrier flight operations as an example of a "high reliability organization." One of the most common criticisms that I hear is how health care is completely different than the military. "In the Navy, if you aren't compliant with the rules, you get in big trouble!" The mistaken belief is that the Navy uses strict hierarchy and authoritarian leadership to enforce strict discipline and compliance with policies, rules, and regulations. Nothing could be further from the truth. While there are certain elements of hierarchical and authoritarian leadership in the military, the most important unifying element that keeps daily operations running exactly (more or less) the same way from ship to ship across the fleet, year after year, are the traditions and customs that are handed down from past generations of sailors. Traditions are the glue that holds the Navy together.
I am not saying that all traditions are good. Some of the traditions in the Navy are no longer appropriate (perhaps they never were) - as one example, the "crossing the line" ceremony" is not quite as violent as it was in the distant past. However, for the most part, traditions are how the right "culture" is instilled in new sailors and how "culture" is maintained throughout the ship.
Most health care organizations have some important traditions. However, I would suggest that traditions are not used nearly enough. Traditions can and should be an important way to set the proper tone, encourage the proper attitudes, and build the culture that is necessary for a high-performing health care delivery organization.
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