Importance of Organizational Culture

Question: The purpose and function of culture in the healthcare organization is to help create and maintain integration, bring employees from all levels of the organization closer together, and to enhance performance and productivity. Basically, organizational culture is the personality of the organization. Culture is made up of the assumptions, values and norms of organization members, and their behaviours.In this essay: Demonstrate an understanding of organisational culture as to relate to Singapore healthcare system. Answer: Introduction Organizational culture in its most simple explanation is the collaborative effect and sharing of values, beliefs, assumptions and behaviours within one organization to positively provide the effective functionality of any organization. Organization culture is surely a new concept but its existence and roots exist since traditional times (Schein, 2010). In ancient times, organizational culture was not so important factor in business as well as functionality. However, modern era considers organizational culture as one of the most important factors that determines the overall success of any organization (Alvesson, 2012). In this essay, learner focuses on understanding the organizational culture in one famous healthcare organization belonging to the Singapore Healthcare system. The Singapore Healthcare System is ranked one among the best healthcare systems of this globe (News Articles, Parkway Cancer Centre Singapore, 2016). Overview of the healthcare organization in Singapore Context The selected healthcare organization for study in this essay is Gleneagles Hospital and Medical Centre that was established in 1957, which became functional on 8 June 1959 in Singapore as the hospital providing medical services. The hospital functions in the private sector as healthcare providing organization with more than 25 speciality healthcare services including ophthalmology, Paediatrics, Urology, Tropical medicine, Psychiatry, Transplantation etc. (On Your Side, Gleneagles Hospital, Singapore, 2016). Singapore healthcare system is mainly under government control where private sector healthcare organization provided services to people having private insurance or people who prefer better treatment facilities of the private organization. The Gleneagles Hospital is considered to be a prime choice of people in Singapore ensuring best treatment services. With exceptional 24x7 emergency and outpatient unit as well as one place for all kind of treatments make this organization the first preference of people in Singapore. Gleneagles Hospital has been awarded many times for its effective healthcare services in Singapore healthcare context involving National Training Award 2000, Superbrands Status 2005, and Singapore Quality Class award 2000 (News Events, Gleneagles Hospital, Singapore, 2016). As a healthcare service provider from more than seven decades in Singapore healthcare context, Gleneagles Hospital assures best healthcare facilities and develops a valuable trust in people conscious for its overall performance. This essay will analyse the organizational culture of this successful healthcare organization in Singapore healthcare context (News Articles, Parkway Cancer Centre Singapore, 2016). The concept of organizational culture The culture is not a material or any figure, yet it structures the overall personality of any organization. The word culture is derived from Latin word cultus meaning care. Hence, organizational culture can be defined as care of organization environment including the external and internal influential factors with beliefs, practices, behaviour and values to establish the personality of the organization (Saunders et al. 2010). According to Speroff et al. (2010), organizational culture is made up of four layers that are values, beliefs, behaviours and paradigm of assumptions. Further, Acar Acar (2012) indicated that organizational culture concept works to explore the basic elements of organization to perform analysis of its values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours involved in functionality. Dodek, Cahill Heyland (2010) studied the different concepts of healthcare organizational culture that consider culture as the building block in the design of organization, culture is the outcome of collaborative and symbolic administration, culture as a paradigmatic concept and as analyzing instrument. Azam et al. (2012) indicated that as the healthcare business depends only on service delivery with no product delivery option, every healthcare organization depends on its organizational culture and quality strategy to maintain its functionality as well as offer beneficial care services. The human workforce is the machinery of healthcare organizations. The Gleneagles Hospital organizational culture is unique in itself where culture establishment and culture transformation are two basic concepts of organizational culture. The concept of establishing culture depends on the quality care process that involves the establishment of standards, service delivery and monitoring process. This concept is detailed in structure below: - Figure 1: The quality care concept at Gleneagles Hospital (Source: Azam et al. 2012, p.400) At Gleneagles Hospital, the standards provided by Ministry of Health, Singapore are followed to perform in healthcare context that assures effective service delivery. Any kind of gaps or defects in service delivery is detected by monitoring process, which is further modified as per culture transformation process. This is the basic concept of organizational culture at this healthcare organization (On Your Side, Gleneagles Hospital, Singapore, 2016). Speroff et al. (2010) studied the dimensions of organizational culture at Gleneagles Hospital that involves customer or patient orientation, team orientation, growth orientation, outcome orientation, risk management and paradigm attention as main focusing components of organizational culture. Further, Acar Acar (2012) provided an explanation on the culture transformation concept at Gleneagles Hospital that depends on the outcomes of monitoring, where changes are made in factors that harm organizational culture with an innovative and continuous approach. The culture of this hospital gets a complete administration support for its functionality. The various sections of culture transformation at Gleneagles Hospital are described below: - Figure 2: Concept of organizational culture transformation at Gleneagles Hospital (Source: Speroff et al. 2010, p. 595) In the study of Speroff et al. (2010) it way mentioned that there are three perspectives of organizational culture that are Rationalism, Symbolism and Functionalism. The rationalism perspective frames organizational culture to achieve goals of organization, symbolism perspective considers symbols and social patterns as culture whereas functionalism consider culture as collaboration of values and assumptions to perform functions. Azam et al. (2012) indicated that at Gleneagles Hospital the perspective of functionalism is followed where culture is formed by shared values and regular assumption development for functionality with internal integration and external adaptation. Acar Acar (2012) used Cultural-Web model to represent the regular paradigm or taken for assumptions in the organizational culture of Gleneagles Hospital. The detail of each paradigm is described in below provided model structure. Figure 3: The Culture-Web model representing paradigm in organizational culture of Gleneagles Hospital (Source: Acar Acar, 2012, p.690) Discussing the function of Organisational Culture The functions of organizational culture in context to Singapore healthcare system in Gleneagles Hospital are described below: - To provide sense of direction and mission Mission and direction are basic requirements to function effectively in the healthcare business. This provides value to achieve expected performance and organizational culture functions for the achievement of mission and direction in the organization (Saunders et al. 2010). To provide sense of identity for professionals The organizational culture function as the sense of identity to the professionals working in healthcare organization by providing them with different levels of functionality. This enhances the professional or employee commitment towards its organization as well as helps them to clearly understand their roles and responsibility (Schein, 2010). To provide right of interruption The organizational culture allows every employee to interpret the meaning behind any organization activity also providing them right to put forward their viewpoint for the betterment of organization. This function of organizational culture has dual benefit where employee and the organization are benefited together (Driskill Brenton, 2010). Function of control mechanism As one of the paradigms of organization culture, that is control mechanism where different aspects or processes of organization work as a control mechanism to minimise the error occurring in the organization (Schein, 2010). Dodek, Cahill Heyland (2010) studied that medication error, treatment confusion are generally occurring errors in healthcare scenario. The regular electronic record making organizational culture process allows control over these errors. Enhancing value of organization This is an external function where a good organizational culture function to enhance the value of organization outside the working zone (Driskill Brenton, 2010). To provide scenario for interaction and communication Effective organizational cultures in healthcare system allow proper interaction and communication in the workplace. If the organizational culture is mismanaged the communication and interaction get disrupted leading to issues and problem in functionality. In healthcare scenario, effective communication between care provider and care user is an essential phenomenon, therefore, effective organizational culture is required for fulfilment of this purpose (Schein, 2010). To construct mobilised and professional workforce for patient satisfaction Dodek, Cahill Heyland (2010) indicated that provides platform for developing professional services, patient safety processes, building trust in patients, mobilising workforce, strong leadership establishment and effective administration in the healthcare organization. To develop and promote values in regular functionality Any organization cannot simply develop values and implement them from top to bottom of the organization level. This can lead to the development of resistance and turnover. But, developing trust as a major element of organizational culture can help in the effective promotion of developed values. At Gleneagles Hospital it was observed that higher management in 2005, implemented an activity of providing staff feedback on a regular basis, which was positively accepted by the employees as a strategy to positively improve their own professional drawbacks (Schein, 2010). Analysing the internal and external factors that affect the creation and perpetuation of organizational culture The internal and external factors are the components that influence the organizational culture by affecting growth, performance, development and sustainability of any organization. These factors can both positively as well as negatively affect the organizational culture (Saunders et al. 2010). The internal and external factors of healthcare organization with reference to Singapore healthcare context are more or less same in all the operating healthcare organization in this country. Therefore, this section demonstrates these factors with particularly focussing on Gleneagles Hospital as study organization (Braithwaite et al. 2010). Internal factors of Healthcare organizational culture The internal factors can be defined as factors that can be controlled by the respective authorities in an organization (Driskill Brenton, 2010). These factors can be manipulated and modified to get best organizational performance. The very first internal factor that affects the organizational culture of the healthcare organization is perspective and thinking of its employees or healthcare professionals. The attitude, behaviour, mindset, view, characteristics, temperament and personality of healthcare professionals shape the organizational culture and service delivery in Gleneagles Hospital of Singapore (Alharbi et al. 2012). The second most important internal factor is the leadership style that structures the overall working of organization and provides stability to the organization. Azam et al. (2012) indicated that administration at Gleneagles hospital is highly appreciated for their most stable administration that provides a brand identity to this organization. Further, Sammer et al. (2010) studied another internal factor that affects healthcare organization culture is the organization policies, practices and structure. The healthcare organization work to provide medical services and facilities, therefore, they strictly need to follow certain laws and regulation that shape the organizational culture and provide effective functionality in healthcare scenario. According to Azam et al. (2012) the Gleneagles Hospital policies and regulations are based on the guidelines provided by Ministry of Health, Singapore that involves Personal Data Protection Act, Privacy Policy, Governing Law Jurisdiction, Indemnity etc. Speroff et al. (2010) indicated that organizational structure rules to control the effectiveness and presentation of any organization culture. Any organization having a bad structure can produce an effective personality and appearance in customer viewpoint. The organizational structure of Gleneagles Hospital in Singapore is highly systematic that provides effective organizational culture. Azam et al. (2012) studied the overall Hierarchy of Gleneagles Hospital that is represented in below diagram. Hierarchy of Gleneagles Hospital Further, Groene et al. (2010) studied other minor internal factors that affect organizational culture that includes employee reward systems, operating market, working environment, the size of organization and founder influence in healthcare scenario. External factors of Healthcare organizational culture Groene et al. (2010) indicated that external factors are the component, which cannot be controlled to manage the organizational culture and functionality. The external factors that affect organizational culture of healthcare organization are legal, economic, social and technological aspects. The social aspects are the customer and their viewpoint that can positively or negatively affect the business making approach of the organization. Further, technological aspect involves regular updating technologies that can be managed by regular monitoring and upgradation of the healthcare system. The legal factors are laws and rules that government makes to manage healthcare scenario and lastly, the economic aspects are the finances and funding of the organization. These external factors can directly as well as indirectly affect the organizational culture (Driskill Brenton, 2010). Analysing the healthcare culture, performance and the effectiveness of Values-Based Culture The value-Based culture shapes the organizational culture with principles that deeply involves values to adhere, people, while making decision and activities in the organization. In this culture, people are able to express their values through behaviour and actions whereas organization express values through working culture (Alvesson, 2012). According to Speroff et al. (2010) the values drive culture, culture drives employee fulfilment, employee satisfaction drives customer services and customer satisfaction drives shareholder values. Further, Dixon-Woods, McNicol Martin (2012) indicated that healthcare organization function is to deliver effective healthcare services there are no product selling or business making approach involved in the healthcare context. Therefore, value-based culture can surely help to develop better service performance and delivery. Groene et al. (2010) studied the Kotter and Heskett theory, which indicates that healthcare organizations having value-based culture can produce a significant margin and effectiveness while interacting with other companies. Further, Dixon-Woods, McNicol Martin (2012) indicated that according to Collins Porras core values that work that generate healthy performance in healthcare organization are integrity, people, innovation and shared prosperity. Hence, as per these viewpoints and theories, value-based culture surely enhances performance and effectiveness of healthcare organizational culture. Conclusion The study provides a clear understanding to the importance of organizational culture on the overall working and effectiveness of healthcare organization in Singapore Healthcare context. The Gleneagles Hospital was organization focussed on analysing the concept, functions, factors and effectiveness of organizational culture as well as its impact on the performance of organization in the healthcare context. The study on this specific organization indicates that Gleneagles Hospital persists an effective organizational culture that is a reason for the overall success and functionality of this healthcare company in Singapore. The value-based culture and perspective of functionalism are two major identified factors that produce an effective performance for any healthcare organization to delivery best medical services and facilities to their customers. Summary of key highlights of discussion The key highlights of this discussion are that out of various organizational culture concepts studied the quality care concept of organizational culture is the basic concept implemented in Gleneagles Hospital. Further, organization involves a functionalism perspective in its organization along with value-based culture. The functions of organizational culture are detailed in this study, where most important functions are the sense of identity, sense of direction, the right of interruption, control mechanism, and organization value. Further, the study involves an explanation of internal and external factors in the organizational culture. The key highlight in this section is the hierarchy structure of Gleneagles Hospital. Further, the importance of value-based organizational culture is another key highlight of this study indicated that value-based culture leads to effective organization performance in the healthcare context. References Books Alvesson, M. (2012).Understanding organizational culture. Sage. Driskill, G. W., Brenton, A. L. (2010).Organizational culture in action: A cultural analysis workbook. Sage. Saunders, M. N., Skinner, D., Dietz, G., Gillespie, N., Lewicki, R. J. (Eds.). (2010).Organizational trust: A cultural perspective. Cambridge University Press. Schein, E. H. 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