Driving Culture Change Through Lean Process Management

On May 8, 2025, participants in the Building Culture Leaders Program gathered in Greensboro, NC for an intensive, hands-on session titled “Culture Change Through LEAN Process.” Facilitated by Mark Gogal, Vice President of Workforce Development at NCHCFA, the session focused on applying Lean principles to long-term care settings, equipping leaders with tools to identify inefficiencies, reduce waste, and implement resident-centered improvements. Activities included cohort sharing, foundational Lean training, and collaborative process improvement exercises utilizing tools such as Value Stream Mapping and Gap Analysis. The session emphasized structured problem-solving and continuous improvement as pathways to building strong, accountable organizational cultures.   

This training was part of FutureCare NC’s broader Building Culture Leaders Program, a three-year initiative designed to enhance the health and well-being of skilled nursing facility residents by empowering leaders with the skills needed to manage today’s complex care environments. The program provides in-depth training to staff from 40 participating facilities, with over 1,000 leaders and frontline employees expected to benefit through in-person sessions, individualized coaching, and on-site team-building workshops. Led by Eric Kivisto, Executive Director of FutureCare NC and Director of Quality Improvement Projects at NCHCFA, the initiative is supported by a $380,000 grant from CMS to be implemented over three years.