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- Kullén Engström, Agneta, et al.
(author)
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Balancing involvement : employees' experiences of merging hospitals in Sweden
- 2002
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In: Journal of Advanced Nursing. - : Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.. - 0309-2402 .- 1365-2648. ; 38:1, s. 11-18
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background. The health care of today stands in front of demands on financial and structural changes. New technology and global economy are forces driving on the change process. Aims. The aim of this study is to describe and broaden the understanding of the employees' experience of being involved in a merger between two health care districts in Sweden. Methods. This study was carried out from a qualitative approach according to the grounded theory tradition. From a theme guide with specific questions, 31 interviews were carried out with employees working in the health care. Findings. Five categories emerged from the body of interviews: balancing involvement, trust respect, challenge and commitment. Balancing involvement was defined as an overall core category related to the other categories. The categories trust, respect, challenge and commitment were related to subcategories and affected the core category balancing involvement. Conclusions. The overall findings point to the importance of balancing the employees' involvement in order to reach goal fulfilment change in a merger process.
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| 2. |
- Kullén Engström, Agneta, et al.
(author)
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Management vs symbolic leadership and hospitals in transition : a Swedish example
- 2000
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In: Journal of Nursing Management. - : Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.. - 0966-0429 .- 1365-2834. ; 8:3, s. 167-173
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aim To describe, analyse and interpret symbolic leadership in Swedish public hospitals. Background Swedish hospitals are undergoing major structural changes. Hospitals are amalgamated in order to increase productivity and accessibility and reduce health care costs. Method In-depth interviews have been performed with 54 politicians, senior civil servants, medical directors and trade union representatives at nine hospitals. The interviews have been analysed and interpreted following a grounded theory approach. Findings The results show that leadership is manifested in two dimensions—management and symbolic leadership. The management dimension comprises general leadership aspects like planning, regulation and control. In the symbolic leadership dimension, the leader acts as a guide, inspirer and visionary. Leaders consider they are acting in two large arenas: a public arena and a hospital arena. In the public arena their professional competence is thought to be most important and in the hospital arena their social competence. Conclusions Structural changes in Swedish hospitals have forced the actors to come out into the public arena, where they increasingly meet the media and have to defend budget cut-backs. This reduces their manoeuvring space in the hospital arena. When leaders work as a team, and make full use of their symbolic role, this helps to promote the process of transition. Symbolic leadership has a potential to increase the role repertory for not least the head nurse.
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| 3. |
- Kullén Engström, Agneta, et al.
(author)
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The concept of effectiveness--a blind alley? A study of different interpretations in a Swedish county council
- 2001
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In: International Journal of Health Planning and Management. - : John Wiley & Sons Ltd.. - 0749-6753 .- 1099-1751. ; 16:1, s. 61-71
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Swedish health care organizations are experiencing pressure to make ever greater efforts to rationalize and to increase effectiveness in the way they plan and provide services. In order to gain a better understanding of the current practice of the three groups of key actors in Swedish health care—politicians, senior civil servants and operational managers—and their perception of effectiveness, a study was carried out in a Swedish county council using both qualitative and quantitative methods. While in general the concept of effectiveness is thought of as crucial, it is not clearly or uniformly defined within the organization. Each of the three groups defines the concept in a way that reflects their own function, which may lead efforts to achieve effectiveness into a blind alley.
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