Organizational culture in a terminally ill hospital.
This study analyzed an organizational culture in a community hospital in Texas to measure organizational culture change and its impact on Patient Satisfaction (PS). The study employed primary and secondary data, combining quantitative and qualitative methods for a case study. Participant observation was used and archival data were collected to provide a better understanding of the organizational culture and the context in which change was taking place. This study also applied a "Shared Vision" of the organization as the central process in bringing forth the knowledge shared by members of the community hospital who were both subjects and research participants. The results from the study suggest an increase in PS due to the shared vision of one subculture within the hospital. There were powerful subcultures in this organization based on occupation and specialization, and their interests and functional orientations were not conducive to a systems approach. Hospital management was conducted in "silos" and there was lack of feedback between organizational levels of the hospital, especially in financial management, with organizational dysfunctionality in reacting and adapting to the health care market.
Coustasse
Alberto
A
Health Management and Policy Department, School of Public Health, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX 76107, USA. acoustas@hsc.unt.edu
Mains
Douglas A
DA
Lykens
Kristine
K
Lurie
Sue G
SG
Trevino
Fernando
F
D006739:Hospital Administration; D006744:Hospital Bed Capacity, 100 to 299; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007324:Institutional Management Teams / Q000458:organization & administration; D007857:Leadership; D020380:Needs Assessment; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D015279:Organizational Culture; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013727:Terminal Care; D013781:Texas