The association between subcultures and resistance to change – in a Swedish hospital clinic
Journal of Health Organization and Management
ISSN: 1477-7266
Article publication date: 18 August 2014
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the different subcultures and the employees’ preparedness for change at an orthopaedic clinic in a university hospital in Sweden.
Design/methodology/approach
Surveys were sent out to 179 nurses and physicians. The survey included the two instruments Organisational Values Questionnaire and resistance to change (RTC) Scale.
Findings
The results suggest a dominance of a human relations culture, i.e. flexibility, cohesion and trust, in the orthopaedic clinic. These characteristics seemed to decrease RTC. Opposite to this, planning, routines and goal setting appeared to increase change-resistant behaviour.
Practical implications
By predicting potential obstacles in a certain context prior to a change process, resources can be used in a more optimal way. An instrument that pinpoints the culture of a particular healthcare setting may be a useful tool in order to anticipate the possible outcome of change.
Originality/value
The rational goal/internal processes dimension exerted a stronger association with RTC than in earlier studies. Deeply rooted standards and routinised care models, governed by work schedules, could be an obstacle to introducing a care model based on the individual needs of the patient. There was, however, a surprisingly low RTC. The results are contrary to the accepted understanding of public organisations known to be slow to change.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by Centre for Person-Centred Care at the University of Gothenburg (GPCC), Sweden. GPCC is funded by the Swedish Government ' s grant for Strategic Research Areas, Care Sciences (Application to Swedish Research Council nr 2009-1088) and co-funded by University of Gothenburg, Sweden and The Health and Medical Care Committee of the Regional Executive Board, Region Västra Götaland.
Citation
Carlström, E. and Olsson, L.-E. (2014), "The association between subcultures and resistance to change – in a Swedish hospital clinic", Journal of Health Organization and Management, Vol. 28 No. 4, pp. 458-476. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHOM-09-2012-0184
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited