Journal of Healthcare Management - March/April 2014 - (Page 147)
Why Hospital Improvement
Efforts Fail: A View From the
Front Line
Clinton O. Longenecker, PhD, Stranahan professor of leadership and organizational
excellence, Department of Management, College of Business and Innovation, University
of Toledo, Ohio, and Paul D. Longenecker, RN, PhD, senior instructor, Department
of Health and Sport Sciences, School of Professional Studies, Otterbein University,
Westerville, Ohio
E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y
In the 21st century, healthcare executives are facing changes of unprecedented magnitude in virtually every area, affecting their ability to compete. That hindrance brings
with it a greater need for rapid and effective organizational change and improvement. Yet changes in the U.S. healthcare delivery system have historically been criticized as slow and less than effective in responding to the changes necessary for rapid
performance improvement. To that end, the purpose of this applied research study
was to help healthcare executives better understand the barriers to effective organizational change and improvement from the perspective of frontline leaders. Focus
groups were conducted with 167 frontline leaders from four community hospitals
to explore why hospital change efforts fail. Participants representing 11 different
functional areas, including all facets of hospital operations, were asked to identify
the primary causes of failure of a recent change initiative at their hospital. A content
analysis of the focus group data identified 10 primary barriers to successful hospital
change, some of which are ineffective implementation planning and overly aggressive
timelines, failure to create project buy-in and ownership, ineffective leadership and
lack of trust in upper management, unrealistic improvement plans, and communication breakdowns. Leadership lessons and recommendations based on the research
findings are provided.
For more information about the concepts in this article, contact Dr. Clinton Longenecker at Clinton.Longenecker@utoledo.edu.
147
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Journal of Healthcare Management - March/April 2014
Journal of Healthcare Management - March/April 2014
Contents
Interview With Marna P. Borgstrom, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer, Yale New Haven Health System, and Chief Executive Officer, Yale-New Haven Hospital, Connecticut
Specialties: Missing in Our Healthcare Reform Strategies?
Costs and Benefits of Transforming Primary Care Practices: A Qualitative Study of North Carolina’s Improving Performance in Practice
Governing Board, C-suite, and Clinical Management Perceptions of Quality and Safety Structures, Processes, and Priorities in U.S. Hospitals
Use of Electronic Health Record Documentation by Healthcare Workers in an Acute Care Hospital System
Why Hospital Improvement Efforts Fail: A View From the Front Line
Journal of Healthcare Management - March/April 2014
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