What the Hit Show ER Taught Me About Learning Organizations

Jul 18th, 2023 | Hire Wire

I am a sucker for old tv dramas. When reruns for the NBC show ER came out, I was excited to learn the interworking of an Emergency Room. I looked forward to learning about medicine and the operational infrastructure behind a hospital system. I did learn this, along with what a true training and learning organization looks like.

The unique aspect of ER is that the drama takes place in a training hospital. A training hospital works with residents and interns to train them in emergency rooms and other medical procedures. What fascinated me was the constant training that occurred in every aspect of the doctor’s roles. At the end of every episode my mind would constantly revert to my small mid-sized clients. I would imagine the positive benefits that would be reaped if more companies led their daily operations like a training hospital. Here are a few examples:

They onboard new employees in small close knit groups:

A Chief Resident or lead physician is paired with a small group of trainees. These physicians’ round with their chief for several weeks which develops consistency and comraderies amongst the newly trained doctors. In the drama series the relationship is rather intense. In real businesses this sense of camaraderie serves as a consistent structure of belonging. It’s valuable for new staff to be paired together whenever possible so that they may feel like a team when navigating a new organization.

They have new hires physically onsite:

In the world of medicine, there is no option to be remote, however with the advent of hybrid and remote schedules many corporations may find it difficult for new employees to be onsite for training. When possible, this step may be imperative to have employees onsite for a short time. Many corporations require employees to be onsite only for the training period and resume hybrid schedules after. The reasons are that the first few weeks are instrumental to ensuring that employees understand their responsibilities. Studies show that training is more effective in person.

Learning never stops even as new employees acclimate to the environment: As residents on the show start to become more hands on with procedures, someone is always there to oversee the newbie as they get started. Similarly, companies can implement a step-by-step training program and milestones to ensure that their employees are constantly following procedures correctly. Preplanned checklists and weekly check-ins are invaluable.

The ER series fuels excitement in their episodes by transforming unique situations into learning opportunities. I always enjoyed seeing a patient being admitted with an abnormal issue or circumstance, because it pushed the ER team’s sense of creativity. Even more importantly it gives an opportunity to invite a newbie to observe. It was routine to invite a newbie to witness a new procedure or new problem to solve. Companies should similarly educate their employees to search for new and interesting situations for new employees to observe and learn from.

Feedback is given consistently, constantly and with data, not emotions.

In the Emergency Room feedback is easy. If the patient has a positive outcome the feedback is generally positive. The situation is reviewed with the team on what could have been done better. Similarly, every big project should conclude with feedback both positive and negative. Feedback should always be given with facts and solidified with positive reinforcement.

Foe example: The project went well! We loved how you stuck to deadlines and illustrated what project milestones needed to be met. Because we pride ourselves as being an organization of constant learning, I encourage you to additionally start thinking of different ways we could even include departments outside of our own to see how our project will affect them.

A bigger picture is always emphasized from every learning opportunity.

From time to time, a time of reflection was sprinkled into the series where a Chief Resident would remind the team what got them to join the field of medicine. They did this to find purpose and meaning in their work. One thing lacking in the corporate world is we forget that all corporations were founded with a vision in mind. It’s important to reinforce the values and principles of the organization from time to time to keep people feeling they are part of a larger purpose.