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Cultural North Star

Cultural North Star TM

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Cultural North Star TM

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The Cultural North Star is a shared framework

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Why do we need a Cultural North Star?

The Cultural North Star is a framework that unites all of DGSOM – faculty, staff and trainees – in our shared mission. It sets high standards and clear expectations for our actions and interactions. We have chosen to call it North Star because it articulates our aspiration and guides us in the decisions we make, the goals we set and the work we do.

Cultural North Star programs will drive our goals of creating an inclusive culture that supports diversity in all forms, energizes our community around the work we do, enhances our reputation as a place to work and focuses our energy on the positive.

Learn more →

What can my department/unit do to help with adoption?

The best thing you can do to help support this process is to promote and practice the Cultural North Star in your workplace.

Contact us

We welcome all feedback, questions and ideas! 

For general inquiries, email culturalnorthstar@mednet.ucla.edu.

To connect with our Cultural North Star Program Manager, email Shadee Ashtari.

Here are a few simple ways to get started →

How will the Cultural North Star be brought to life?

After 18 months of research and development, the Cultural North Star launched in May 2019. Since then, the Dean’s Office has been working with staff, faculty, students and trainees from across our academic and medical enterprise to develop and pilot a range of Cultural North Star programs and practices that – over time – will be embedded in the fabric of our organization.

R & D (2017 – 2019)

Research & Development

  • Capture and analyze qualitative and quantitative data from in-depth interviews, focus groups and a school-wide survey
  • Culture audit informs development of the Cultural North Star
  • Leadership pressure testing (early experimentation and refinement; identified implications, uncertainties and real-life applications)
  • Development of marketing and communications plans
  • Development of pilot HR programming

Phase I (2019 – 2020)

Internal awareness + programming

  • Launch coordinated internal marketing and communications campaign
  • Identify strategic integration opportunities and implement evidence-based practices in key areas: medical education curricula, professional development, rewards and recognitions, orientation and onboarding, recruitment, and HR and Academic Affairs assessments
  • Collect feedback and iterate (quarterly surveys)

Phase II (2020)

Scale + iterate

  • Scale successful pilots
  • Expand HR and Academic Affairs strategy
  • Develop accountability components
  • Develop external marketing and communications campaign

Phase III (2020 – 2021)

Continuous improvement + external campaign

  • Continuous improvement and iteration of programs
  • Launch external campaign + partnerships

How will success be measured?

The overarching goals of the Cultural North Star are very broad and relate to each pillar of the DGSOM’s mission. Over the long term, success will be reflected in increased employee engagement (measured by a Employee Net Promoter Score), decreased turnover and an increase in collaboration and collegiality across the board. These metrics, as well as Cultural North Star awareness and engagement, will be measured quarterly through a pulse survey. Longitudinal data from the quarterly survey will allow us to assess change over time and pivot Cultural North Star programming in response to trends. As the Cultural North Star gains awareness and traction, we expect these – and other mission-related metrics – to improve.

To review results from our first survey (July 2019), click here.

To review results from our second survey (November 2019), click here.

To review results from our third survey (October 2020), click here.

When does the adoption of the Cultural North Star actually occur? How long will full adoption take?

Full adoption of the Cultural North Star will take time. We don’t expect full adoption right away, but we do hope that through the support of leadership and ongoing communications to faculty, staff and trainees, that the entire DGSOM community will be familiar with the Cultural North Star by the end of 2019.

How was the Cultural North Star developed?

Over the course of a year, from October 2017 to November 2018, leadership of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA engaged in a thoughtful process of discovery and exploration to understand the culture of the DGSOM in both its current and aspirational states. Through a DGSOM-wide survey, focus groups, leadership summit and individual in-depth interviews, we listened to more than 1,000 voices from our community and analyzed the data for key themes.

The Cultural North Star emerged from these key themes and was designed with the intention of distinguishing us from our peers.

How does the Cultural North Star fit into UCLA’s larger cultural ecosystem?

Many of our colleagues, partners and leaders across campus are working tirelessly to help UCLA and DGSOM meet our noble mission through cultural initiatives.

  • CICARE
  • UCLA Health Code of Conduct
  • DGSOM Diversity, Inclusion & Outreach (DIO)
  • UCLA Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
  • Medical Education Societies
  • True Bruin Values
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