Health care managers learning by listening to subordinates’ dialogue training

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 437-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Grill ◽  
G. Ahlborg Jr ◽  
E. Wikström
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Strategic Communication ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Health Care Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Care Managers

Purpose – Middle managers in health care today are expected to continuously and efficiently decide and act in administration, finance, care quality, and work environment, and strategic communication has become paramount. Since dialogical communication is considered to promote a healthy work environment, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the ways in which health care managers experienced observing subordinates’ dialogue training. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews and documents from eight middle managers in a dialogue programme intervention conducted by dialogue trainers. Focus was on fostering and assisting workplace dialogue. Conventional qualitative content analysis was used. Findings – Managers’ experiences were both enriching and demanding, and consisted of becoming aware of communication, meaning perceiving interaction between subordinates as well as own silent interaction with subordinates and trainer; Discovering communicative actions for leadership, by gaining self-knowledge and recognizing relational leadership models from trainers – such as acting democratically and pedagogically – and converting theory into practice, signifying practising dialogue-promoting conversation behaviour with subordinates, peers, and superiors. Research limitations/implications – Only eight managers participated in the intervention, but data afforded a basis for further research. Practical implications – Findings stressed the importance of listening, and of support from superiors, for well-functioning leadership communication at work. Originality/value – Studies focusing on health care managers’ communication and dialogue are few. This study contributes to knowledge about these activities in managerial leadership.

scholarly journals Factors that foster or prevent sense of belonging among social and health care managers

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 468-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mai-Stiina Lampinen ◽  
Anne Irmeli Konu ◽  
Tarja Kettunen ◽  
Elina Annikki Suutala
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Shared Vision ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Health Care Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Care Managers ◽  
Structural Solutions

Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify factors that foster or prevent sense of belonging among frontline and middle managers in social and health-care services in Finland. Design/methodology/approach The data have been collected among social and health-care managers (n = 135; 64 per cent nursing managers) through two open-ended questions in a questionnaire concerning sense of community. The results of the open-ended questions have been analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Findings Among managers, six categories of factors that foster sense of belonging (open interaction, effective conversation culture, support and encouragement, common values, a shared vision of the work and its objectives and structure of leadership) and five categories of factors that prevent sense of belonging (negative work atmosphere, lack of common time, structural solutions in the organization, problems that occur in the organizational level and problems related to leadership and management) have been identified. Practical implications The resulting information can be used to develop sense of belonging among managers at all levels of organization (horizontal and vertical). Originality/value Paying attention to the quantity and quality of interaction and to structural solutions in the organization can affect the sense of belonging among frontline managers and middle managers.

Sense of community and job satisfaction among social and health care managers

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 228-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mai-Stiina Lampinen ◽  
Elina Annikki Viitanen ◽  
Anne Irmeli Konu
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Sense Of Community ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Health Care Managers ◽  
Open Communication ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Care Managers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify how the factors associated with sense of community at work are connected with job satisfaction among the front-line managers and middle managers in social and health-care services in Finland. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire prepared for this study was sent to 241 social and health-care managers (front line and middle managers) in Finland. A total of 136 of managers responded to the survey (response rate was 56 per cent). Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis and multiple linear regression analysis. Findings – Alongside job meaningfulness, open communication and good flow of information within the organization, sense of security provided by close relationships at work and managers’ own superiors’ appreciation of their leadership skills all are related to managers’ job satisfaction. Originality/value – The study adds to our understanding of factors which are connected to the job satisfaction among social and health-care managers’. The findings of this study can be used in the development of leadership to support managers in coping at work.

Barriers to healthcare delivery in Iranian prisons: a qualitative study

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 373-388
Author(s):  
Ahmad Hajebrahimi ◽  
Khalil Alimohammadzadeh ◽  
Seyed Mojtaba Hosseini ◽  
Ali Maher ◽  
Mohammadkarim Bahadori
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Human Resources ◽  
Health Care Delivery ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Process Data ◽  
Health Care Managers ◽  
Barriers To Health Care ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Care Managers ◽  
Barriers To Health

Purpose High quality health-care delivery is not only the governments’ responsibility but also every prisoner’s right. Health care in prison and, particularly, of Iranian prisoners is increasingly important topic because of the rising number of the prison population. This paper aims to explore health-care managers’ perspectives and experiences of prisons and the barriers to health-care delivery in Iranian prisons. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative research design was conducted in Iran from October 2018 to August 2019. The participants consisted of 51 health-care managers (50 men and one woman) from Iranian prisons. A combination of face-to-face (N = 42) and telephonic (N = 9) semi-structured interviews were used because of the geographical distribution of the respondents. The first part of the interview guide consisted of demographic characteristics, and the second part consisted of three main open ended-questions. Interviews were recorded and transcribed, and thematic descriptive analysis was used to interpret the data. Findings The barriers to health-care delivery in Iranian prisons were categorized into four main topics: human resources, financing, facilities and barriers related to the health-care delivery process. Data synthesis identified the following themes for barriers to human resources: barriers to human resources planning (with eight sub-themes); barriers to education (with three sub-themes); and motivational barriers (with seven sub-themes). Moreover, barriers to financing consisted of five sub-themes. The barriers to facilities consisted of barriers related to physical infrastructures (with two sub-themes) and barriers related to equipment (with six sub-themes). Finally, barriers to the health-care delivery process included the following themes: communication barriers (with six sub-themes); legal barriers (with five sub-themes); and environmental-demographic factors (with seven sub-themes). Originality/value Identifying the barriers to health-care delivery in Iranian prisons plays a critical role in the improvement of planning, decision-making and the health-care delivery process.

Fad and fashion? The relevance of subjective performance measures

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (11) ◽  
pp. 2391-2407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Chiara Demartini ◽  
Sara Trucco
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Performance Measures ◽  
Sem Analysis ◽  
Performance Measurement System ◽  
Objective Measures ◽  
Health Care Managers ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Care Managers ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of the use of subjective (objective) performance measures on relevant organisational outcomes, namely perceived managerial discretion (PMD) and manager’s satisfaction with the performance measurement system (PMS). Furthermore, the paper analyses the indirect link between subjective vs objective measures and managers’ satisfaction through PMD. Design/methodology/approach To test the research hypotheses, a paper-based questionnaire was sent to Italian health care managers in Lombardy. Thus, a PLS-SEM analysis was performed on a data set of 97 Italian health care managers. Findings Empirical findings showed that objective measures are more capable of supporting the managerial perception of discretion when compared to more subjective ones such as “fads” and “fashions”, and that managers are more satisfied with the PMS when it is grounded on objective measures rather than subjective ones. Originality/value The paper operationalizes and empirically tests the measure of PMD, linking this to antecedents and consequences. It also extends the literature on subjectivity in the PMS, since it develops new knowledge on the choice between subjective and objective measures by applying this choice to a variety of PMS, whereas prior literature on objective vs subjective measures has mainly focussed on performance evaluation.

Determinants of good and poor quality as perceived by US health care managers

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 708-725 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Amati ◽  
Amer A. Kaissi ◽  
Annegret F. Hannawa
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Health Care Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Written Narratives ◽  
Care Managers ◽  
Care Assessment

Purpose The scientific literature evidences that the quality of care must be improved. However, little research has focused on investigating how health care managers – who are responsible for the implementation of quality interventions – define good and poor quality. The purpose of this paper is to develop an empirically informed taxonomy of quality care as perceived by US managers – named the Integrative Quality Care Assessment Tool (INQUAT) – that is grounded in Donabedian’s structure, process and outcome model. Design/methodology/approach A revised version of the critical incident technique was used to collect 135 written narratives of good and poor quality care from 74 health care managers in the USA. The episodes were thematically analyzed. Findings In total, 804 units were coded under the 135 written narratives of care. They were grouped under structure (9 percent, n=69), including organizational, staff and facility resources; process (52 percent, n=419), entailing communication, professional diligence, timeliness, errors, and continuity of care; outcomes (32 percent, n=257), embedding process- and short-term outcomes; and context (7 percent, n=59), involving clinical and patient factors. Process-related categories tended to be described in relation to good quality (65 percent), while structure-related categories tended to be associated with poor quality (67 percent). Furthermore, the data suggested that managers did not consider their actions as important factors influencing quality, but rather tended to attribute the responsibility for quality care to front-line practitioners. Originality/value The INQUAT provides a theoretically grounded, evidence-based framework to guide health care managers in the assessment of all the components involved with the quality of care within their institutions.

The success of strategic planning in health care organizations of Iran

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 563-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Parvaneh Esfahani ◽  
Ali Mohammad Mosadeghrad ◽  
Ali Akbarisari
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Strategic Planning ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Health Care Managers ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Care Managers ◽  
Strategic Plans

Purpose Although strategic planning promised to boost organizational performance, many health care managers found it difficult to implement it successfully. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the success of strategic planning in health care organizations of Iran. Design/methodology/approach This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016 using a valid and reliable questionnaire completed by 99 health care managers in Tehran province, Iran. Findings Strategic planning was positively related to organizational performance including employees’ and patients’ satisfaction and organizational productivity. However, strategic planning was moderately successful in enhancing organizational performance of Iranian health care organizations (score of 2.84 out of 5). The most and least success was observed in the planning and employee management constructs of organizational performance. Process management, organizational culture and customer management constructs had the most effect on the success of strategic plans in health care organizations. Practical implications Strategic planning is effective and provides a clear focused direction for health care organizations. Understanding the success factors of strategic planning would enable managers to develop more effective methods for developing, implementing and evaluating strategic plans in health care organizations. Originality/value This paper highlights the relationship between strategic planning and organizational performance and offers suggestions on how to develop and implement strategic plans to achieve higher organizational performance.

Head nurses’ decision-making when managing ethical dilemmas

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vilma Zydziunaite ◽  
Daiva Lepaite ◽  
Päivi Åstedt-Kurki ◽  
Tarja Suominen
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Resistance To Change ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Nursing Management ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Written Form ◽  
Societal Expectations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to characterize issues related to head nurses’ decision making when managing ethical dilemmas. Design/methodology/approach – The study is qualitative descriptive, in which researchers stay close to the data. The data were collected in the format of unstructured written reflections. Inductive conventional latent qualitative content analysis was applied to the data. Findings – The issues of head nurses’ management of decision making in ethical dilemmas relate to the following aspects: taking risks in deviating from the formalities, balancing power and humaneness, maintaining the professional hierarchy, managing resistance to change, managing with limited options, and experiencing the decline of nurse’s professional and/or human dignity. Research limitations/implications – Reflections in written form were preferred to semi-structured interviews and the researchers were unable to contact the participants directly and to ask additional questions. All the reflections were produced in a language other than English. Practical implications – The issues of head nurses’ management of decision making in ethical dilemmas reveal the gap between societal expectations and the opportunities to improve nursing leadership in health care organizations. Social implications – The issues of head nurses’ decision making when managing ethical dilemmas are related to contexts that reflect the attitudes of society and health care system toward nursing management. Originality/value – The study adds to the understanding of issues of the management of decision making in ethical dilemmas. It is an ongoing systematic process that encourages head nurses to learn from practice and manage the quality of care by empowering themselves and nurses to take responsibility for leadership.

Public libraries digital services and sustainability issues

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 34-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarina Michnik
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Digital Services ◽  
Local Politicians ◽  
Physical Spaces ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study how Swedish local politicians perceive the impact of public library digital services on public libraries and to discuss how this can affect the sustainable development of public libraries. Design/methodology/approach – Empirical data were collected through semi-structured interviews with local politicians from 19 different Swedish municipalities. Data were treated to qualitative content analysis and discussed based on the concept of sustainable organization. Findings – According to local politicians, public library digital services may affect public libraries through changes to libraries’ physical spaces, librarians’ tasks and competencies and libraries’ economic situations. Based on these findings, public library digital services can both strengthen and weaken public library sustainability through, for example, increased access and expenditures, the latter of which may threaten public library sustainability. Research limitations/implications – Interviews did not focus specifically on the politicians’ views on public library digital services but dealt generally with their views on public libraries. To identify reasons for variations in views on this topic, follow-up interviews should be done. Data on views from public library managers would also be of use to determine the degree to which they are shared with local politicians. Originality/value – When sustainability and public libraries are discussed, the focus is generally on the library’s contribution to a sustainable society. Here, the focus is instead on the sustainability of the public library itself.

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