title: Work culture among healthcare personnel in a palliative medicine unit.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Understanding and assessing health care personnel's work culture in palliative care is important, as a conflict between "high tech" and "high touch" is present. Implementing necessary changes in behavior and procedures may imply a profound challenge, because of this conflict. The aim of this study was to explore the work culture at a palliative medicine unit (PMU).
  
  
  METHODS
  Healthcare personnel (N = 26) at a PMU in Norway comprising physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, and others filled in a questionnaire about their perception of the work culture at the unit. The Systematizing Person-Group Relations (SPGR) method was used for gathering data and for the analyses. This method applies six different dimensions representing different aspects of a work culture (Synergy, Withdrawal, Opposition, Dependence, Control, and Nurture) and each dimension has two vectors applied. The method seeks to explore which aspects dominate the particular work culture, identifying challenges, limitations, and opportunities. The findings were compared with a reference group of 347 ratings of well-functioning Norwegian organizations, named the "Norwegian Norm."
  
  
  RESULTS
  The healthcare personnel working at the PMU had significantly higher scores than the "Norwegian Norm" in both vectors in the "Withdrawal" dimension and significant lower scores in both vectors in the "Synergy," "Control," and "Dependence" dimensions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Healthcare personnel at the PMU have a significantly different perception of their work culture than do staff in "well-functioning organizations" in several dimensions. The low score in the "Synergy" and "Control" dimensions indicate lack of engagement and constructive goal orientation behavior, and not being in a position to change their behavior. The conflict between "high tech" and "high touch" at a PMU seems to be an obstacle when implementing new procedures and alternative courses of action.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Health Promotion and Resources, The Sør-Trøndelag University College and Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. beate.andre@ntnu.no
authors.forename: Beate
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: André
authors.forename: Endre
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sjøvold
authors.forename: Toril
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rannestad
authors.forename: Marte
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Holmemo
authors.forename: Gerd I
authors.initials: GI
authors.lastname: Ringdal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway; D015279:Organizational Culture; D010166:Palliative Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires