Abstract
Health reforms and an increasing demand for quality and effectiveness have put pressure on the health care sector. The increased need for innovation requires the health sector to undertake certain moves, and constant changes have become a focal point for the hospitals. The fact of undergoing continuous changes would without doubt have an effect on the employees. The purpose of this thesis has been to investigate the experiences of hospital employees when undergoing a restructuring process, and to investigate whether their reactions could be seen in connection with the noted change curve theory of Scott and Jaffe (1989).
The data material in this study was collected by conducting qualitative research interviews with eight informants employed at a ward in a large Norwegian hospital, which recently had undergone a restructuring process. The qualitative method was chosen to illuminate the individual’s experiences with restructuring.
The analyses show that the majority of informants were positive to the restructuring project. Their transit through the change curve was rapid and any prospective notions of resistance were insignificant and easily overcome. Those of the informants who displayed major reluctance to the project seemed to sustain negative throughout the process. The informants did not recognize any large outcomes of the project as such, but found the process to be rewarding in terms of creating a better understanding between the employees.
The findings indicate that the employees at this particular ward do not react to change fully in accordance with the change curve of Scott and Jaffe. Their responses to change are more positive and the curve is more deftly transited than the change theory suggest. However, the study provides insight into how hospital employees react to and experiences the contemporary situation of restructuring and changes in their work place.
Health reforms and an increasing demand for quality and effectiveness have put pressure on the health care sector. The increased need for innovation requires the health sector to undertake certain moves, and constant changes have become a focal point for the hospitals. The fact of undergoing continuous changes would without doubt have an effect on the employees. The purpose of this thesis has been to investigate the experiences of hospital employees when undergoing a restructuring process, and to investigate whether their reactions could be seen in connection with the noted change curve theory of Scott and Jaffe (1989).
The data material in this study was collected by conducting qualitative research interviews with eight informants employed at a ward in a large Norwegian hospital, which recently had undergone a restructuring process. The qualitative method was chosen to illuminate the individual’s experiences with restructuring.
The analyses show that the majority of informants were positive to the restructuring project. Their transit through the change curve was rapid and any prospective notions of resistance were insignificant and easily overcome. Those of the informants who displayed major reluctance to the project seemed to sustain negative throughout the process. The informants did not recognize any large outcomes of the project as such, but found the process to be rewarding in terms of creating a better understanding between the employees.
The findings indicate that the employees at this particular ward do not react to change fully in accordance with the change curve of Scott and Jaffe. Their responses to change are more positive and the curve is more deftly transited than the change theory suggest. However, the study provides insight into how hospital employees react to and experiences the contemporary situation of restructuring and changes in their work place.