Dr. Bob Dent Earns National Book Award

The prestigious American Journal of Nursing has given its Book of the Year Award for Professional Interests to Building a Culture of Ownership in Healthcare by Joe Tye and Dr. Bob Dent. Tye is CEO and Head Coach of Values Coach Inc., a consulting and training firm headquartered in Solon, Iowa. Dent is Chief Operating and Chief Nursing Officer of Midland Memorial Hospital and also the 2018 President of the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE).

“Back in 2016, Joe and I gave a presentation at the annual AONE conference,” says Dent. “Afterwards, a woman from the audience approached and said we should write a book. It turns out she was the acquisition editor for Sigma, the international nursing honor society. A year later our book was in print.” The book has recently gone into its second printing.

Building a Culture of Ownership in Healthcare describes a process for creating what the authors call a Cultural Blueprint for the Invisible Architecture of an organization: the values, culture, and attitudes that function within the visible architecture of bricks and mortar. “When it comes to the employee and customer experience,” says Dent, “the Invisible Architecture is far more influential than the physical facility, technology, or any other factor.”

The book recounts many real-world examples, including that of Midland Memorial Hospital where we have seen improvements in outcomes because of our commitment to building a Culture of Ownership. The concepts of this book are applicable to any organization.

Dent and Tye joined together again in publishing, The Heart of a Nurse Leader: Values-Based Leadership for Healthcare Organizations.