Vincent McCorkle, the new president and CEO of the hospital’s parent, Akron General Health System, is fond of saying, “culture eats strategy.” Rather than mandating changes, he prefers a participatory process, where everyone has a role. In a hotly contested market, not that far from heavy hitters like the Cleveland Clinic, 511-bed Akron General has had to stay nimble. The health system, which includes a community hospital and Partners Physician Group, posted a 1.4 percent positive margin on operating revenue of $553.4 million in 2009, after losing money in 2008. Arriving in July 2010, Mr. McCorkle hired back Alan Papa, a former Akron General executive, as president of the medical center and continued physician recruitment by acquiring a five-cardiologist group.