Journal of Healthcare Management - July/August 2014 - (Page 305)

ABSTRACT FROM THE ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT TITLE. Can Entire Departments Be Burned Out? A Conservation of Resources Perspective on Burnout Contagion AUTHORS. Benjamin B. Dunford, associate professor, Krannert School of Management, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN; R. Wayne Boss, professor, Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado at Boulder; Alan D. Boss, assistant professor, business program, University of Washington Bothell; George A. Zara, president and CEO, Providence Hospitals, Columbia, SC; Richard W. Grooms Jr., chief operating ofﬁcer, Pain Specialists of Charleston (SC). GOAL. Healthcare managers recognize that burnout can be contagious within work units, disrupting the performance of large employee groups, even entire departments. Emotional exhaustion can be quickly transferred between employees until the whole department is infected and its functioning is disrupted. However, the scholarly literature provides little evidence-based guidance for healthcare managers to develop and implement effective burnout prevention and reduction tactics at the department level. Therefore, this study had two purposes. The ﬁrst purpose was to empirically test whether burnout is a contagious, department-level phenomenon. The second purpose was to examine the extent to which department-level burnout is associated with four department-level effectiveness outcomes: problem solving, interpersonal trust, goal setting, and performance. METHODS. We drew on the conservation-of-resources model (Hobfoll, 1989) to develop a theoretical framework about how burnout becomes contagious and disrupts the effectiveness of hospital departments. Using a combination of survey and interview methodologies, we tested our model with a large sample of employees from a hospital in the southern United States that was organized into 65 departments. PRINCIPLE FINDINGS. Intraclass correlation analysis demonstrated clear evidence of burnout contagion within departments (i.e., burnout was shared between department employees). Moreover, ordinary least squares regression analysis showed that low-burnout departments scored substantially better than high-burnout departments on problem solving, interpersonal trust, goal setting, and overall performance. APPLICATIONS TO PRACTICE. Healthcare managers should regularly monitor burnout, not only in individuals but particularly in business units. This monitoring could be performed through interviews or attitude surveys to identify departments that are burned out or at risk for burning out. Management could intervene to treat or prevent the deleterious effects of department burnout contagion by reducing department job demands and increasing department resources. For example, department demands could be reduced by job redesign, job rotation, and adequate stafﬁng. 305

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Journal of Healthcare Management - July/August 2014

Journal of Healthcare Management - July/August 2014
Contents
Interview With Charles R. Evans, FACHE, President of the International Health Services Group and Senior Advisor at Jackson Healthcare
The Most Effective Leadership Style for the New Landscape of Healthcare
Exploring Obstacles to Success for Early Careerists in Healthcare Leadership
Decisions Through Data: Analytics in Healthcare
Sustainable Competitive Advantage for Accountable Care Organizations
Hospital Characteristics Associated With Achievement of Meaningful Use
The Effect of Professional Culture on Intrinsic Motivation Among Physicians in an Academic Medical Center
Abstract from the Academy of Management

Journal of Healthcare Management - July/August 2014