Collaboration and Norms in the Center for Bioethics and Health Law

While I wish that I was able to say that I have a perfect grasp on the organizational culture of the Center for Bioethics and Health Law, the fact that I, along with the majority of my colleagues, am working remotely means that my understanding of the organizational category of the Center is different than how I would understand it if I was working in person. However, one part of the organization of the Center for Bioethics and Health Law that I do not believe has undergone drastic change during remote work is the ways in which the context of the Center impacts the organization. One important facet of that context is the fact that the Center is not an independent organization but is instead part of the broader University of Pittsburgh community. I have written some about the ways that this impacts the organization in my last reflection, however here I would like to add that by virtue of it being part of a larger academic group, the main focus is on collaboration and interdisciplinary action. I have yet to see a project be proposed or offered that would not in some way involve the efforts of not only the center but also groups like the Graduate School of Public Health, the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, or Pennsylvania Hospital Systems. The collaborative nature of the Center impacts its organizational category and the way that it functions by creating a broad network. The Center is not an insular organization by nature and so it has access to varying resources, contacts, and opportunities that more independent, closed off groups would not be able to obtain.

One of the values of working at the Center for Bioethics and Health Law is passion for the work and care for other employees. Every time that I speak with my site supervisor, or any of the other Center members with whom I am working, they ask me to let them know if I am not interested in the work that they ask me to do, if it overwhelms me, or if I would like to move in a different direction. The members of the Center care deeply not only about the work that they are doing, but also want to ensure that their coworkers are also deeply engaged and doing fulfilling work. To me, this is one of the greatest strengths of the Center for Bioethics and Health Law. It is an observable truth that people who are doing work that they are passionate for and care about are more productive and produce better results. By ensuring that employees are engaging in this type of passionate work, the Center is not only garnering good will and demonstrating the ways that employees are valued parts of the Center, but also creating an organization that will produce better programs and products that will in turn create more success for the Center in the long term.