4 research outputs found
Keep it complex!:How organizations in mental health care create flexibility as a permanent and pro-active attitude
No full textKeep it complex!:How organizations in mental health care create flexibility as a permanent and pro-active attitude
No full textLiterature study from a social ecological perspective on how to create flexibility in healthcare organisations
No full textAim: To examine (1) how flexibility is defined and described in healthcare literature and (2) which interventions are used at what organisational level to influence flexibility. Background: Flexibility is necessary in healthcare for continuous adaptation to the dynamic environment. In accordance with Social Ecological Theory, it takes the combination of all organisational levels to achieve flexibility (individual, interpersonal, organisational, community, and macro-policy). However, managing this is complex. Evaluation: Using Psychinfo and Web of Science, a systematic search was performed on flexibility in health care organisations. The 19 studies that met the selection criteria were analysed from a social ecological perspective. Eight publications described flexibility as a result of interventions, but provided little information about their evidence base. Key issues: It is difficult to achieve flexibility: a pro-active attitude and capability to adapt internal processes to the changing environment. Interventions promoting flexibility in healthcare need all organisational levels, since they mutually influence each other. Conclusion: This study shows that there is too little evidence on how to create flexibility in healthcare organisations. Implications for management: Change in healthcare is continuous. Therefore, flexibility should be a permanent pro-active attitude of both managers and professionals and should take all organisational levels into account
Co-creating a program for teams to maintain and reflect on their flexibility
No full textTo prevent rigidity within teams in health care and to support teams in detecting early warning signs of decreasing flexibility, a program has been co-created in collaboration with mental healthcare teams. This program is intended to systematically monitor team behavior, and by doing so to facilitate team intervention. We aim to lay foundations for the further development of methods that can help teams to recognize and respond to processes going on under the surface. This paper introduces the program to the reader; and describes its premises and the co-creation process, leading to a program of nine steps. Then, it describes the application of the program within a team, what a team needs to use the program, and whether the nine steps are sufficient. This pilot shows that the program is a helpful framework within which teams can talk about rigidity, define indicators of their flexibility, and think about appropriate actions and interventions for maintaining or restoring their flexibility. Team ownership and the customizability of the program are important attributes. The program appears to provide a useful framework that helps a team to observe and discuss processes. Team members become aware of the indicators of their team and make their goals explicit
