ABSTRACT
The topic of organisational culture is of significant interest in the management literature since culture is so closely tied to organisational identity and work processes. Culture is usually measured as a set of shared symbols, values, and artifacts across an organisation. However, few studies have attempted to determine if cultures are indeed truly shared This study addresses this issue by examining cultural perceptions of employees to see whether their perceptions vary by demographic characteristics and/or across organisational units. The site of the study is one of the major companies in the long-term health-care industry. Using ten cultural dimensions, significant differences in perceptions were found by organisational unit, the age of the employee, the employee's gender, and their ethnicity. Interestingly, a much more tenuous relationship between work experiences and cultural beliefs was found. Implications for practice as well as areas for future research are provided.
Subject(s)
Attitude of Health Personnel , Multi-Institutional Systems/organization & administration , Organizational Culture , Skilled Nursing Facilities/organization & administration , Age Factors , Analysis of Variance , Attitude of Health Personnel/ethnology , Female , Humans , Male , Organizational Objectives , Sex Factors , Surveys and Questionnaires , United StatesABSTRACT
Due to rapid changes in the health care industry, physicians are being asked to do much more than just take care of patients. They need an arsenal of additional skills if they want to survive in a shifting health care environment characterized by cost consciousness, competition, and fear of decreasing service quality. Consequently, doctors are searching for opportunities to learn more about the business side of managed care. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's School of Business Administration, along with Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Tennessee, the Chattanooga Unit of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, and Erlanger Medical Center, has developed management education courses for area physicians. This article outlines the implementation of the continuing education programs and provides suggestions for others considering such a program, as well as ideas for future business school and physician education linkages.
Subject(s)
Commerce/education , Education, Medical, Continuing , Managed Care Programs/organization & administration , Leadership , Managed Care Programs/economics , Tennessee , UniversitiesABSTRACT
Initiating a total quality management (TQM) effort can be a time-consuming and costly effort for a hospital. Perceptions of management and employees are important in initiating TQM because people function as if perceptions are fact. Assessing these perceptions and determining the levels of readiness or resistance to change are important steps in reducing costs, thus increasing organizational ability to address proactively challenges to the implementation and ultimate success of a TQM effort. Key assessment criteria are discussed including a comparison of management and employee perceptions in one hospital.
Subject(s)
Efficiency, Organizational/standards , Personnel Administration, Hospital/standards , Total Quality Management/organization & administration , Humans , Job Satisfaction , Materials Management, Hospital/standards , Organizational Innovation , Organizational Objectives , Psychology, Industrial , United States , WorkforceABSTRACT
This paper attempts to explain the trends in health care in the United Kingdom in terms of environmental factors, consumer preferences, and other factors influencing the socialized medicine delivery system. This paper, which is based on a literature review as well as interviews with British consumers, further explains the problems faced by the National Health Service (NHS) and the feasibility of such a system in the United States.
