Showing papers on "Organizational culture published in 2013"

Hospital survey on patient safety culture in China.

Abstract: Patient safety culture is an important measure in assessing the quality of health care. There is a growing recognition of the need to establish a culture of hospital focused on patient safety. This study explores the attitudes and perceptions of patient safety culture for health care workers in China by using a Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSPSC) questionnaire and comparing it with the psychometric properties of an adapted translation of the HSPSC in Chinese hospitals with that of the US. We used the modified HSPSC questionnaire to measure 10 dimensions of patient safety culture from 32 hospitals in 15 cities all across China. The questionnaire included 1160 Chinese health-care workers who consisted of predominately internal physicians and nurses. We used SPSS 17.0 and Microsoft Excel 2007 to conduct the statistical analysis on survey data including descriptive statistics and validity and reliability of survey. All data was input and checked by two investigators independently. A total of 1500 questionnaires were distributed of which 1160 were responded validly (response rate 77%). The positive response rate for each item ranged from 36% to 89%. The positive response rate on 5 dimensions (Teamwork Within Units, Organization Learning-Continuous Improvement, Communication Openness, Non-punitive Response and Teamwork Across Units) was higher than that of AHRQ data (P < 0.05). There was a statistical difference on the perception of patient safety culture in groups of different work units, positions and qualification levels. The internal consistency of the total survey was comparatively satisfied (Cronbach’s α = 0.84). The results show that amongst the health care workers surveyed in China there was a positive attitude towards the patient safety culture within their organizations. The differences between China and the US in patient safety culture suggests that cultural uniqueness should be taken into consideration whenever safety culture measurement tools are applied in different culture settings.

Consequences of cultural practices for entrepreneurial behaviors

Abstract: Although national culture is an important regulator of entrepreneurship, there is a dearth of studies that: (1) explore the effects of national cultural practices on entrepreneurial behaviors by individuals; (2) use appropriate multilevel research designs; (3) consider the effects of culture on different entrepreneurial behaviors, such as entry and post-entry growth aspirations. We combined Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) and Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) data from 42 countries for 2005–2008 to address these gaps, using a multilevel design. We found societal institutional collectivism practices negatively associated with entrepreneurial entry, but positively associated with entrepreneurial growth aspirations. Uncertainty avoidance practices were negatively associated with entry but not with growth aspirations, and performance orientation practices were positively associated with entry. Our analysis highlights the differential effects of cultural practices on entrepreneurial entry and growth aspirations, and demonstrates the value of multilevel techniques in analyzing the effect of culture on entrepreneurship.

Women Rising: The Unseen Barriers

Abstract: Many CEOs who make gender diversity a priority—by setting aspirational goals for the proportion of women in leadership roles, insisting on diverse slates of candidates for senior positions, and developing mentoring and training programs—are frustrated. They and their companies spend time, money, and good intentions on efforts to build a more robust pipeline of upwardly mobile women, and then not much happens.

Blaming the organization for abusive supervision: The roles of perceived organizational support and supervisor's organizational embodiment

Abstract: Why do employees who experience abusive supervision retaliate against the organization? We apply organizational support theory to propose that employees hold the organization partly responsible for abusive supervision. Depending on the extent to which employees identify the supervisor with the organization (i.e., supervisor's organizational embodiment), we expected abusive supervision to be associated with low perceived organizational support (POS) and consequently with retribution against the organization. Across 3 samples, we found that abusive supervision was associated with decreased POS as moderated by supervisor's organizational embodiment. In turn, reduced POS was related to heightened counterproductive work behavior directed against the organization and lowered in-role and extra-role performance. These findings suggest that employees partly attribute abusive supervision to negative valuation by the organization and, consequently, behave negatively toward and withhold positive contributions to it.

Missing link in the service profit chain: a meta-analytic review of the antecedents, consequences, and moderators of service climate.

Abstract: Service climate captures employees' consensual perceptions of organizations' emphasis on service quality. Although many studies have examined the foundation issues and outcomes of service climate, there is a lack of a comprehensive model explicating the antecedents, outcomes, and moderators of service climate. The current study fills this void in the literature. By conducting a meta-analysis of 58 independent samples (N = 9,363), we found support for service climate as a critical linkage between internal and external service parameters. In addition, we found differential effects of service-oriented versus general human resource practices and leadership on service climate, as well as disparate impacts of service climate contingent on types of service, measures of service climate, and sources of rating. Research and practical implications are discussed.

Organizational stressors associated with job stress and burnout in correctional officers: a systematic review

Abstract: In adult correctional facilities, correctional officers (COs) are responsible for the safety and security of the facility in addition to aiding in offender rehabilitation and preventing recidivism. COs experience higher rates of job stress and burnout that stem from organizational stressors, leading to negative outcomes for not only the CO but the organization as well. Effective interventions could aim at targeting organizational stressors in order to reduce these negative outcomes as well as COs’ job stress and burnout. This paper fills a gap in the organizational stress literature among COs by systematically reviewing the relationship between organizational stressors and CO stress and burnout in adult correctional facilities. In doing so, the present review identifies areas that organizational interventions can target in order to reduce CO job stress and burnout. A systematic search of the literature was conducted using Medline, PsycINFO, Criminal Justice Abstracts, and Sociological Abstracts. All retrieved articles were independently screened based on criteria developed a priori. All included articles underwent quality assessment. Organizational stressors were categorized according to Cooper and Marshall’s (1976) model of job stress. The systematic review yielded 8 studies that met all inclusion and quality assessment criteria. The five categories of organizational stressors among correctional officers are: stressors intrinsic to the job, role in the organization, rewards at work, supervisory relationships at work and the organizational structure and climate. The organizational structure and climate was demonstrated to have the most consistent relationship with CO job stress and burnout. The results of this review indicate that the organizational structure and climate of correctional institutions has the most consistent relationship with COs’ job stress and burnout. Limitations of the studies reviewed include the cross-sectional design and the use of varying measures for organizational stressors. The results of this review indicate that interventions should aim to improve the organizational structure and climate of the correctional facility by improving communication between management and COs.

Nurses' roles in health promotion practice: an integrative review

Abstract: Nurses play an important role in promoting public health. Traditionally, the focus of health promotion by nurses has been on disease prevention and changing the behaviour of individuals with respect to their health. However, their role as promoters of health is more complex, since they have multi-disciplinary knowledge and experience of health promotion in their nursing practice. This paper presents an integrative review aimed at examining the findings of existing research studies (1998-2011) of health promotion practice by nurses. Systematic computer searches were conducted of the Cochrane databases, Cinahl, PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO and Scopus databases, covering the period January 1998 to December 2011. Data were analysed and the results are presented using the concept map method of Novak and Gowin. The review found information on the theoretical basis of health promotion practice by nurses, the range of their expertise, health promotion competencies and the organizational culture associated with health promotion practice. Nurses consider health promotion important but a number of obstacles associated with organizational culture prevent effective delivery.

Role of innovation in the relationship between organizational culture and firm performance

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of innovation on the relationship between organizational culture and firm performance.Design/methodology/approach – Data for the study were collected through a survey from 154 branches of ten prominent banks in Turkey and responses were analyzed to assess the relationships between organizational culture, firm performance and organizational innovation.Findings – The findings reveal that in the banking sector, although organizational culture and innovation have a direct and positive effect on the firm performance dimensions, organizational culture was found to have an insignificant regression coefficient on the dimensions of firm performance in the presence of organizational innovations.Practical implications – These findings provide useful insights for organizations, particularly in the banking industry, seeking to be competitive and responsive to environmental changes by successfully introducing innovations. Conclusions emphasize that me...

Experiencing the Culture of Academic Medicine: Gender Matters, A National Study

Abstract: BACKGROUND Energized and productive faculty are critical to academic medicine, yet studies indicate a lack of advancement and senior roles for women.

Leadership, Coordination, and Corporate Culture

Abstract: What is the role of leaders in large organizations? We propose a model in which a leader helps to overcome a misalignment of followers’ incentives that inhibits coordination, while adapting the organization to a changing environment. Good leadership requires vision and special personality traits such as conviction or resoluteness to enhance the credibility of mission statements and to eectively rally agents around them. Resoluteness allows leaders to overcome

Multicultural Employees: A Framework for Understanding How They Contribute to Organizations

Abstract: Organizations are experiencing a rise in a new demographic of employees—multicultural individuals, who identify with two or more cultures and have internalized associated cultural schemas. I create a map of possible ways to organize more than one cultural identity, based on identity integration, which ranges from separated to integrated, and identity plurality, which ranges from single to multiple. Cognitive and motivational mechanisms drawn from social identity theory explain how identity patterns then influence both benefits and challenges for multicultural employees, categorized into personal, social, and task outcomes. Organizational identification and organizational culture moderate relationships between multicultural identity patterns and outcomes. The framework presented in this article offers a theoretical basis for understanding how multicultural employees may contribute to their organizations.

Organizational culture for total quality management

Abstract: This study aimed to find empirical evidence about the organisational culture that fits best with a total quality management (TQM) system. Based on the classification developed by Cameron and Quinn (1999), we propose an alternative type of culture: the ‘mixed culture’ or ‘culture for quality’, which would be between adhocratic and clan cultures. It would have a double orientation – external and internal – and it would promote flexibility. The results of an empirical study of 451 companies were analysed using hierarchical linear regression methodology. The measurement of constructs used in this research was based on a review of the literature. Empirical evidence was found for the positive impact of adhocratic culture on TQM. Contrary to expectations, the clan culture has no significant effect on TQM. In addition, the mixed culture or ‘culture for quality’ is the most appropriate for a TQM system. The expected effect of control-oriented cultures was also found. In this case, both the market culture and the h...

The impact of leadership style and employee empowerment on perceived organizational reputation

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of the current study is to examine the impact of organizational leadership style and employee empowerment on employees’ perception of organizational reputation by testing a hypothesized model.Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative on‐line survey was conducted with 700 randomly selected employees from diverse work units of a Fortune 500 company in the United States in February 2011.Findings – The results showed that transformational leadership positively influences employees’ perception of organizational reputation, not only directly but also indirectly, through empowering employees. Transactional leadership has a significant negative direct effect on employees’ perception of organizational reputation. Employees who feel more empowered in terms of perceived competence and decision‐making control have a more favorable evaluation of organizational reputation.Research limitations/implications – By building links between organizational reputation and the two internal antecedent fact...

The impact of affective and cognitive trust on knowledge sharing and organizational learning

Abstract: Purpose – This paper seeks to add to the research on the role of cognitive and affective trust in promoting knowledge sharing between executives and consequently establishing an organizational learning environment.Design/methodology/approach – This paper examines the influence of one conceptualization of trust, one that has two sub‐constructs – affective (emotional) trust and cognitive (rational) trust – on knowledge sharing among 157 marketing and sales executives.Findings – The results indicate that affective trust is more important than cognitive trust in sharing interpersonal knowledge, but cognitive trust is more important in creating an organizational learning environment.Research limitations/implications – The scope of this study was limited to the marketing and sales functions in business to consumer companies. Knowledge sharing is an acute issue in this industry and the results may not be completely applicable to less competitive industries or business functions. Therefore, researchers are encour...

Reducing hospital errors: interventions that build safety culture.

Abstract: Hospital errors are a seemingly intractable problem and continuing threat to public health. Errors resist intervention because too often the interventions deployed fail to address the fundamental source of errors: weak organizational safety culture. This review applies and extends a theoretical model of safety culture that suggests it is a function of interrelated processes of enabling, enacting, and elaborating that can reduce hospital errors over time. In this model, enabling activities help shape perceptions of safety climate, which promotes enactment of safety culture. We then classify a broad array of interventions as enabling, enacting, or elaborating a culture of safety. Our analysis, which is intended to guide future attempts to both study and more effectively create and sustain a safety culture, emphasizes that isolated interventions are unlikely to reduce the underlying causes of hospital errors. Instead, reducing errors requires systemic interventions that address the interrelated processes of safety culture in a balanced manner.

Learning organization and innovative behavior: The mediating effect of work engagement

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the mediating effect of work engagement on the relationship between learning organization and innovative behavior. Design/methodology/approach – This study used surveys as a data collection tool and implemented structural equation modeling for empirically testing the proposed research model. Findings – The study found that learning organization culture makes a direct and indirect impact on employees ' innovative work behaviors. Results from hierarchical multiple regressions and structural equation modeling supported that work engagement fully mediates the relationship between the learning organization and innovative work behaviors. Practical implications – HRD practitioners can develop effective interventions to enhance their employees ' innovative behavior by devoting efforts to create a workplace that promotes collaborative learning culture and work engagement. Originality/value – This study is valuable to HRD specialists interested in developing eff...

Factors influencing intentions to stay and retention of nurse managers: a systematic review.

Abstract: Aims This systematic review aimed to explore factors known to influence intentions to stay and retention of nurse managers in their current position. Background Retaining staff nurses and recruiting nurses to management positions are well documented; however, there is sparse research examining factors that influence retention of nurse managers. Evaluations Thirteen studies were identified through a systematic search of the literature. Eligibility criteria included both qualitative and quantitative studies that examined factors related to nurse manager intentions to stay and retention. Quality assessments, data extraction and analysis were completed on all studies included. Twenty-one factors were categorized into three major categories: organizational, role and personal. Key issues Job satisfaction, organizational commitment, organizational culture and values, feelings of being valued and lack of time to complete tasks leading to work/life imbalance, were prominent across all categories. Conclusion These findings suggest that intentions to stay and retention of nurse managers are multifactoral. However, lack of robust literature highlights the need for further research to develop strategies to retain nurse managers. Implications for nurse management Health-care organizations and senior decision-makers should feel a responsibility to support front-line managers in relation to workload and span of control, and in understanding work/life balance issues faced by managers.

Assessing patient safety culture in hospitals across countries.

Abstract: Objective. It is believed that in order to reduce the number of adverse events, hospitals have to stimulate a more open culture and reflective attitude towards errors and patient safety. The objective is to examine similarities and differences in hospital patient safety culture in three countries: the Netherlands, the USA and Taiwan. Design. This is a cross-sectional survey study across three countries. A questionnaire, the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (Hospital SOPS), was disseminated nationwide in the Netherlands, the USA and Taiwan. Setting. The study was conducted in 45 hospitals in the Netherlands, 622 in the USA and 74 in Taiwan. Participants. A total of 3779 professionals from the participating hospitals in the Netherlands, 196 462 from the USA and 10 146 from Taiwan participated in the study. Main Outcome Measures. The main outcome measures of the study were 12 dimensions of patient safety culture, e.g. Teamwork, Organizational learning, Communication openness. Results. Most hospitals in all three countries have high scores on teamwork within units. The area with a high potential for improvement in all three countries is Handoffs and transitions. Differences between countries exist on the following dimensions: Non-punitive response to error, Feedback and communication about error, Communication openness, Management support for patient safety and Organizational learning—continuous improvement. On the whole, US respondents were more positive about the safety culture in their hospitals than Dutch and Taiwanese respondents. Nevertheless, there are even larger differences between hospitals within a country. Conclusions. Comparison of patient safety culture data has shown similarities and differences within and between countries. All three countries can improve areas of their patient safety culture. Countries can identify and share best practices and learn from each other.

Coerced practice implementation in cases of low cultural fit: cultural change and practice adaptation during the implementation of six sigma at 3m

Abstract: In this article, we present the findings of a longitudinal study of coerced implementation of a practice in the face of a low degree of fit between the practice and an organization's culture. Contrary to current predictions stating that a lack of cultural fit will eventually be resolved through adaptation of new practices, our findings portray the implementation of culturally dissonant practices as an ongoing process involving the mutual adaptation of organizational practices and culture. Our emerging model describes the cultural changes induced by the coercive implementation of new practices as involving a partial change in shared beliefs and behavioral patterns and a more general enrichment of the cultural repertoire of organization members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Which cultural values matter to business process management?: Results from a global Delphi study

Abstract: Purpose – Business process management (BPM) requires a holistic perspective that includes managing the culture of an organization to achieve objectives of efficient and effective business processes Still, the specifics of a BPM‐supportive organizational culture have not been examined so far Thus, the purpose of this paper is to identify the characteristics of a cultural setting supportive of BPM objectivesDesign/methodology/approach – The paper examines the constituent values of a BPM‐supportive cultural setting through a global Delphi study with BPM experts from academia and practice and explore these values in a cultural value frameworkFindings – The paper empirically identifies and defines four key cultural values supporting BPM, viz, customer orientation, excellence, responsibility, and teamwork The paper discusses the relationships between these values and identifies a particular challenge in managing these seemingly competing valuesResearch limitations/implications – The identification and de

Enhancing Organizational Performance

Abstract: Total quality management (TQM), reengineering, the workplace of the twenty-first century--the 1990s have brought a sense of urgency to organizations to change or face stagnation and decline, according to Enhancing Organizational Performance. Organizations are adopting popular management techniques, some scientific, some faddish, often without introducing them properly or adequately measuring the outcome. Enhancing Organizational Performance reviews the most popular current approaches to organizational change--total quality management, reengineering, and downsizing--in terms of how they affect organizations and people, how performance improvements can be measured, and what questions remain to be answered by researchers. The committee explores how theory, doctrine, accepted wisdom, and personal experience have all served as sources for organization design. Alternative organization structures such as teams, specialist networks, associations, and virtual organizations are examined. Enhancing Organizational Performance looks at the influence of the organization's norms, values, and beliefs--its culture--on people and their performance, identifying cultural "levers" available to organization leaders. And what is leadership? The committee sorts through a wealth of research to identify behaviors and skills related to leadership effectiveness. The volume examines techniques for developing these skills and suggests new competencies that will become required with globalization and other trends. Mergers, networks, alliances, coalitions--organizations are increasingly turning to new intra- and inter-organizational structures. Enhancing Organizational Performance discusses how organizations cooperate to maximize outcomes. The committee explores the changing missions of the U.S. Army as a case study that has relevance to any organization. Noting that a musical greeting card contains more computing power than existed in the entire world before 1950, the committee addresses the impact of new technologies on performance. With examples, insights, and practical criteria, Enhancing Organizational Performance clarifies the nature of organizations and the prospects for performance improvement. This book will be important to corporate leaders, executives, and managers; faculty and students in organizational performance and the social sciences; business journalists; researchers; and interested individuals.

A corporate system for continuous innovation: the case of Google Inc.

Abstract: Purpose – History is full of companies that were once innovative leaders but lost their innovative ability. The purpose of this paper is to explore, from a firm‐level perspective, organizational characteristics for continuous innovation in rapidly changing industries.Design/methodology/approach – Findings from 28 interviews at Google Inc., are compared to previous research on organizational characteristics for continuous innovation.Findings – Google's organization can be viewed as a dynamic and open corporate system for continuous innovation, involving the entire organization and supported by an innovation‐oriented and change‐prone top management and board. The relative importance of eight organizational characteristics in this corporate system is elaborated upon.Research limitations/implications – There is a need for empirical research contributing to the development of a more comprehensive analytical framework for continuous innovation, including the role of culture and selection/facilitation of self‐or...