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The balance between metrics and mission
Ann Keillor1, Greg Hobbs, Jeff Bauer
1Superior Consultant Company, Monterey, CA, USA. ann_keillor@superiorconsultant.com
Michigan Health & Hospitals
|February 27, 2003
Summary
Healthcare culture often resists transformation, hindering planned reforms. Despite political efforts, cultural inertia can be a significant barrier to change, sometimes forcing entities to evolve to survive.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Sociology of Health
- Health Policy Analysis
Background:
- The relationship between culture and change in healthcare is complex and often challenging.
- Past healthcare reform initiatives have faced significant resistance due to deeply ingrained cultural factors.
- The power of cultural resistance can outweigh political initiatives aimed at transformation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the dynamic interplay between healthcare culture and the process of change.
- To understand why predicted healthcare changes often fail to materialize as expected.
- To examine how external forces for change impact healthcare entities.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative analysis of historical healthcare reform attempts.
- Case study examination of healthcare entities facing transformation pressures.
- Literature review on cultural resistance in organizational change.
Main Results:
- Healthcare culture possesses a strong capacity to resist change, often impeding planned reforms.
- Political power is frequently insufficient to overcome cultural inertia in healthcare settings.
- External pressures can compel healthcare organizations, particularly smaller or rural ones, to adapt significantly to ensure survival.
Conclusions:
- Cultural resistance is a primary factor limiting transformative change in healthcare.
- Effective healthcare reform requires strategies that address and navigate cultural dynamics.
- Healthcare entities may undergo substantial evolution to adapt to changing environments and avoid failure.