Bump's Law

The culture change process can seem a bit overwhelming. After all, you’re changing the whole culture of long-term care – from the way the administrator leads to the institutional dishes food is served on. Situations you haven’t even thought of until they arrive will need new approaches. Wow. Sometimes the best way to handle a big project is to focus on just the task at hand. Eventually they will all add up and make the big impact you are working for.

Bump’s Law is an excellent tool for addressing situations as they arrive. Our colleague, Linda Bump, a true leader in the culture change movement, uses four questions to address any situation.

What does the resident want?
How did the resident do it at home?
How do you do it at home?
How should we do it here?

You see, these questions put the focus on the humanity of a situation. When you use Bump’s Law you are pushing aside “the way things are done” and letting choice rule. Once you have asked the first three questions, connecting with the resident and his or her preferences and realizing that “the way things are done” is certainly not the way you’d have things done in your house, you can’t help but let those answers influence the answer to the fourth question.

This handout can be used at any stage of culture change. You can use it to open people’s eyes about “the way things are done” or you can use it to make sure you are on track, have covered all your bases, or focus on an area you may be struggling with. I’ll suggest handing it out to all sorts of folks in your organization and even perhaps making pocket sized cards with Bump’s Law on them for staff to reference whenever they need. Now, go out there and do Linda proud!