Organisation Development in Healthcare: A Critical Appraisal for OD Practitioners

Organizational development (OD) is a practice that involves implementing effective organizational change. It is interdisciplinary and draws on sociology, psychology, and motivation theories. This book provides an overview of the evolution of OD in healthcare and identifies challenges such as conformists or deviant innovation, organizations as machines or systems, hierarchy versus democracy, and the importance of power and emotion. Examples and case studies from the UK and the US are included to illustrate the benefits of OD.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 198 pages
Publication date: 29 November 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Organizational development (OD) is a comprehensive and ongoing practice that aims to implement effective changes within organizations. It encompasses both a field of applied science focused on understanding and managing organizational change and a field of scientific study and inquiry. OD is interdisciplinary, drawing on various disciplines such as sociology, psychology, particularly industrial and organizational psychology, and theories of motivation, learning, and personality.

In the context of healthcare, organizational development (OD) holds significant importance as a critical appraisal for practitioners. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution of OD in healthcare as a field of practice and as a challenge to its future development. It examines the underlying assumptions behind OD and traces its historical growth in healthcare, with a special emphasis on the UK's National Health Service.

The unique nature of healthcare organizations, delivering human services through the work of professionals who are subject to emotional labor and addressing societys complex and pressing problems, provides a distinct context for OD. This book identifies a range of challenges faced by healthcare OD, including issues related to conformist or deviant innovation, the perception of organizations as machines or systems, the balance between hierarchy and democracy, the importance of power and emotion, and potential future directions for healthcare OD.

To illustrate the benefits of OD in healthcare, examples and short case studies from both the UK and the US are included. These case studies showcase how OD has been implemented successfully in various healthcare settings, leading to improvements in patient outcomes, employee satisfaction, and organizational performance.

Overall, this book serves as a valuable resource for healthcare practitioners, policymakers, and researchers interested in understanding and advancing the field of organizational development in healthcare. It provides a comprehensive overview of the past, present, and potential future of OD in this critical sector, offering insights and strategies for practitioners to implement effective change and improve the quality of care provided to patients.

Weight: 410g
Dimension: 176 x 251 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367765149