Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Process management in healthcare: investigating why it's easier said than done

Process management in healthcare: investigating why it's easier said than done Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate what happens when a new management idea with manufacturing origin is implemented in a healthcare organization. In this paper, it is focussed on process management: what happens when the processes are highlighted, process owners are appointed and more power is allocated to the process dimension of the organization. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses the case of a hospital group in Sweden to investigate difficulties in implementing process management. The studied hospital group has been involved in systematic fundamental change to the system for nearly a decade. The research project was conducted using a collaborative management research approach in which academic researchers worked together with the development director. Findings – The paper shows that the organization itself in many ways becomes an obstacle to the achievement of a process‐oriented management style. In the empirical story, voices from the healthcare staff reveal conflicts over organizing principles and structures such as budgeting and reimbursement systems – systems obviously built on a more functional view from an organizational perspective. It is not completely evident that the two alternative perspectives are able to co‐exist easily – managing them seems to be an advanced balancing act. Originality/value – The paper provides an illustration of knowledge transfer from manufacturing to service industries. It focuses on the meeting between a Swedish healthcare organization and the idea of process management. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management Emerald Publishing

Process management in healthcare: investigating why it's easier said than done

Download PDF
13 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/emerald-publishing/process-management-in-healthcare-investigating-why-it-s-easier-said-wukwi8u0PO

References (43)

Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © 2010 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
ISSN
1741-038X
DOI
10.1108/17410381011046607
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate what happens when a new management idea with manufacturing origin is implemented in a healthcare organization. In this paper, it is focussed on process management: what happens when the processes are highlighted, process owners are appointed and more power is allocated to the process dimension of the organization. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses the case of a hospital group in Sweden to investigate difficulties in implementing process management. The studied hospital group has been involved in systematic fundamental change to the system for nearly a decade. The research project was conducted using a collaborative management research approach in which academic researchers worked together with the development director. Findings – The paper shows that the organization itself in many ways becomes an obstacle to the achievement of a process‐oriented management style. In the empirical story, voices from the healthcare staff reveal conflicts over organizing principles and structures such as budgeting and reimbursement systems – systems obviously built on a more functional view from an organizational perspective. It is not completely evident that the two alternative perspectives are able to co‐exist easily – managing them seems to be an advanced balancing act. Originality/value – The paper provides an illustration of knowledge transfer from manufacturing to service industries. It focuses on the meeting between a Swedish healthcare organization and the idea of process management.

Journal

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management – Emerald Publishing

Published: May 4, 2010

Keywords: Process management; Organizational design; Health services; Sweden

There are no references for this article.