Who We Are

Operation Blue Sky

West Virginia University Health Sciences strives to create a community that feels safe, remains curious and knows how to have fun. Research shows that communities featuring these three pillars increase levels of innovation, develop stronger bonds, are not held back by fear, have a greater sense of purpose and increase productivity.

WVU’s pursuit of strong working communities reduces symptoms of burn out, increased retention from students to faculty and all around higher levels of happiness.

The Pillars

Curiosity

One of the biggest barriers to enabling curiosity is the lack of time people have at work to be creative - thinking about new ways of doing things and innovative solutions to problems. The “Find 4” initiative challenges everyone to find four hours a week to be curious and challenges leaders to encourage and support this creative time.

Safety

Trust is an essential component of psychological safety to empower people to feel safe to contribute their ideas, opinions and beliefs. The “2gether” initiative aims to increase the sense of community and belonging through relevant seminar series, book clubs and social gatherings to bring people together and build relationships.

Fun

People spend more time at work than practically anywhere else in their life – so why not make it fun? The “Let’s Play!” initiative will focus on creating dedicated space for fun and offer fun coaches that can help plan group activities. By identifying specific spaces that are dedicated to relaxing together, the value of having fun becomes a more tangible priority.