Cultural change and perpetuation in organisations: Evidence from an English Emergency Ambulance Service

Transforming cultures rather than changing structures is a favourite prescription for reforming health care organisations. We explore the relationship between cultures, performance measures, and organisational change by analysing the cultural characteristics of an English ambulance trust to understand how organisational culture is perpetuated. Internal and external factors that impact on culture change programmes, such as historical legacy and sub-cultural dynamics, are identified. The role and identity of ambulance personnel, the conflict between professional culture and managerial objectives, and the role of performance measurement were found to be significant issues which promoted resistance to enforced change and impeded planned management action

Subcultural tensions in managing organisational culture:a study of an English Premier League football organisation

In this article, we explore subcultural interaction in the context of attempts by executives to control culture in the unusual organisational setting of football. We present evidence of five tension points in subcultural relations (togetherness or isolation, internal labour market, multiple identification and allegiances, individual and organisational requirements, and competition and cooperation). We examine how these tensions were induced and or exacerbated by the culture management efforts, as well as the ways in which the dynamics of change impacted on the objectives of executives. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings for theory and practice

Introduction: Why Reflect Collectively on Capacities for Change?

‘Capacity development’ implies a promise of growing self?reliance, national ownership and sustainability, yet practice seems consistently to fall short of this emancipatory promise. This introduction argues for a reframing of capacity development for emancipatory social change. Articles in this IDS Bulletin show how understanding and practice must engage with complexity, appreciate the importance of specific culture and context, and continually address the role of power in shaping relationships, understandings and practices. Values and leadership are fundamental drivers of capacity development processes. This IDS Bulletin argues against a deficit approach based on linear causal logic and replicable ‘best practice’. Instead, practitioners are encouraged to develop a detailed understanding of the culture and dynamics of specific contexts, to detect energies for positive change and work to connect and facilitate them. Learning is at the centre of the approach. Capacity development is understood as a collective process of learning in action for social change. Support for capacity development processes demands a critical development practice that implies mutual learning, with an emphasis on reflective and experiential approaches. However, this reframing implies enormous challenges for development practice, and therefore considerable personal and organisational commitment

Role of Organisational Culture when Shaping a Shared Service Organisation into a Lean System

The importance of managing organisational culture for the sustainable implementation of lean systems in shared services is of increasing interest to researchers and practitioners. The current state of research demonstrates that companies have failed to establish a sustainable lean system with a virtuous continuous cycle of improvements. People and conflicting organisational cultures are conceived as the predominant reasons for lean failures. This study explains and explores the interdependencies of organisational culture and lean systems in captive shared services with regard to their potential of sustained performance and competitiveness. Hence, the research identifies the organisational cultural attributes and types that are addressed by a lean system, explores how culture management happened during a lean system implementation, and challenges the sustainability of the implemented lean system. So far, research has looked into the topics of organisational culture, shared service organisation, and lean system in isolation. This study is original as it synthesises all 3 topics. As this research places organisational culture influenced by leadership at the centre of its investigation, it critically applies not only Cameron and Quinn’s competing values framework (CVF), but also Martin’s 3 perspectives of culture as well as a synthesis of different relationship frameworks demonstrating the link between leadership, organisational culture, and organisational performance. This study is ground breaking as it critically looks at lean systems and their sustainability through the lens of organisational culture. Drawing on an in-depth case study conducted in a shared service organisation (SSO) of a global service company, this investigation applied a critical realist-based mixed-methods approach with a variety of primary data collection techniques. Different types of secondary data were used, also for the purpose of triangulation. A critical realist approach to thematic analysis was used to identify relevant stratified, institutional mechanisms. By applying a critical realist worldview, this research offers a multilevel understanding of the dynamics, contradictions and complexities when establishing a lean system. As a result, the study reveals that the implementation of lean systems in the service industry is not a linear approach as each instance and stage of culture management is unique. This multidimensional, culture-oriented interpretation, based upon pioneering empirical evidence from a global service company’s SSO, extends and deepens the understanding of the dynamic contradictions and complexity of lean system implementation that both constrain and enable organisational change. Key words: culture, shared services, lean, performance, leanness, lean sustainability, visual management, Competing Values Framework, leadership, mixed-methods, critical realism, culture management, continuous improvement

European Commission, migration and the external dimension : a study of organisation

The thesis examines how the European Commission incorporated and implemented migration policy as part of the European Union’s external relations, also known as the external dimension of migration. The focus of the thesis is on the period between the coming into force of the Amsterdam Treaty in 1999, when migration largely came to fall under the Commission’s remit, and the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty in 2009. The study compares how the Commission’s Directorates-General (DGs) involved in the external dimension of migration during this period—Justice, Liberty and Security, External Relations and Development—made sense of the changes introduced to their responsibilities. The thesis proposes that the concept of organisational culture, drawn from organisational sociology, can explain how actors interact with and collectively make sense of their organisational environment. The main argument of the thesis is that each of the DGs possesses an organisational culture based on its members’ shared readings of priorities and the function of their unit. The thesis examines these divergent organisational cultures to gauge how policies are internalised and translated into output. The analysis contributes to the external governance literature, which has theorised the external dimension of migration as a continuation of European integration processes without accounting for internal organisational dynamics. It also leads to reflections on organisational sociology theorising, and the implications of the findings on studies of organisational change and implementation. This thesis is divided into five chapters. The first provides a background for how the Commission came to be involved in migration policy. The second provides a theoretical framework for the study, building on organisational sociology. The remaining chapters empirically analyse the three elements of organisational culture: DG members’ sources of organisational identity, their perceptions and prioritisations of the external dimension of migration, and their reading of the Commission’s implementation practices, focusing on relations with Morocco as a tool for illustrating the latter

Developing the synergy between university and industry-based nursing courses : Lessons in engagement

On the surface the process of engagement seems functional, however, if the engagement process does not take into account people dynamics and the effects of the wider social, organisational and cultural context, multiple tensions may occur. This paper shares the story of the tensions related to culture, relationships, communication and the impact of change in bringing a University-Community project to its completion. The scholarship of engagement revealed the nature of this complex process and uncovered the need for a richer understanding of the people involved and their mindset. The challenges and opportunities encountered in the engagement process will be identified and the “how to” and “how not to” manage the process and the consideration of the people will be discusse

Developing the synergy between university and industry-based nursing courses: Lessons in engagement

On the surface the process of engagement seems functional, however, if the engagement process does not take into account people dynamics and the effects of the wider social, organisational and cultural context, multiple tensions may occur. This paper shares the story of the tensions related to culture, relationships, communication and the impact of change in bringing a University-Community project to its completion. The scholarship of engagement revealed the nature of this complex process and uncovered the need for a richer understanding of the people involved and their mindset. The challenges and opportunities encountered in the engagement process will be identified and the “how to” and “how not to” manage the process and the consideration of the people will be discusse

Monitoring the Implementation of Trauma-informed Care

This work, which unites the fields of occupational psychology, cultural anthropology, and complexity science, examines the novel and nebulous domain of trauma-informed care. Mere definitions of concepts like trauma-informed care, organisational culture, and culture change ignite discord between researchers, writers, and practitioners alike. Trauma-informed care is a system model which encourages system-wide adoption by all involved within the organisation. An organisational shift towards adopting this model requires fundamental change. Change not necessarily within practice and policy but within the individuals who occupy the organisation themselves. Introducing a system-wide model is practicable, but ensuring that adoption and adherence is challenging when faced with the dynamic nature of the human psyche. When attending to organisational change, organisations must prioritise the sensitivities of individuals. Involving individuals and respecting the dynamics of change can smooth over the rough edges that make transitions difficult. Perceptions, attitudes, and behaviours change alongside correlating events, environments, and system stimuli. To be one step ahead of organisational fate, the organisation must adapt to the individual rather than the contrary. A whole-system approach is needed. The reflection on implementation requires a practical self-assessment. A whole-system approach utilises a network of interrelated systems that permits timely self-reflection and enables immediate action. This research utilises both qualitative and quantitative data by means of primary and secondary sources through a pragmatic design: staff and service-user participants from the NHS and relevant references within the broader context. The research congregates opinions from both parties and co-produces an implementation framework for application in dynamic contexts. The Roots framework is adapted into a learning and growth training package that stakeholders at the NHS and broader audiences can adapt and redefine at will. This work advances the fields of trauma-informed care and organisational culture change by coproducing a framework and drafting recommendations on how to co-produce a self-assessment that can monitor the implementation of trauma-informed care

Dynamics of performance measurement and organizational culture

This research paper aims to model the dynamic relationship between performance measurement, management styles and organisational culture, in order to develop a better understanding of the causal linkages between these three areas