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Performance management and goal ambiguity: managerial implications in a single payer system
Stefano Calciolari1, Elena Cantù, Giovanni Fattore
1Istituto MecoP, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland. stefano.calciolari@usi.ch
Health Care Management Review
|February 15, 2011
Summary
Goal ambiguity negatively impacts organizational performance in healthcare. Reducing this ambiguity through clear goals, funding, and political support can enhance results in public health systems.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Organizational Behavior
- Public Administration
Background:
- Goal ambiguity affects performance management systems and organizational outcomes.
- Previous research focused on U.S. federal agencies, lacking international and healthcare-specific analyses.
- This study addresses goal ambiguity in a public healthcare context.
Purpose of the Study:
- Validate a measurement instrument for goal ambiguity.
- Investigate the antecedents of goal ambiguity.
- Explore the relationship between goal ambiguity and organizational performance in a public healthcare system.
Main Methods:
- Nationwide survey of general managers in the Italian national health system.
- Factor analysis to confirm instrument mono-dimensionality.
- Structural equation modeling to test antecedents and performance impact.
Main Results:
- Instrument validity confirmed.
- Two environmental sources of ambiguity identified: political endorsement and governance commitment.
- A negative relationship was found between goal ambiguity and organizational performance.
Conclusions:
- Goal ambiguity significantly hinders organizational performance in healthcare.
- Strategies to reduce ambiguity, such as clear goal-setting, improved funding, and political support, are recommended.
- Findings are applicable to public healthcare systems globally and other public interest sectors.
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