Making practice visible: the workplace culture critical analysis tool (WCCAT).

Emancipatory practice development has a key focus on changing the culture of practice to enable more person-centredness to be developed in the care unit (ward, department or clinic). However, getting ‘inside’ the prevailing practice culture can be challenging and complex and it can be difficult to determine the specific aspects of culture that need to be addressed in a development programme. One way of doing this, and a key process of practice development, is observation of practice. However, many of the tools available for the observation of practice are inconsistent with the philosophy and values underpinning emancipatory practice development, i.e. they tend towards ‘judgement’ of quality rather than the facilitation of engagement. The WCCAT has been developed as an observation tool consistent with the philosophy and values of emancipatory practice development and is a facilitative process. In this paper we set out the framework underpinning the WCCAT, the phases involved in undertaking an observation and examples of how to use the tool in practice. An initial evaluation of the use of the tool by practice development facilitators is also provided. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.