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. 2024 Jul 12;21(7):912.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph21070912.

Unveiling the Heartbeat of Healing: Exploring Organizational Culture in a Tertiary Hospital's Emergency Medicine Department and Its Influence on Employee Behavior and Well-Being

Roshni D'Silva  1 , Jayaraj Mymbilly Balakrishnan  2 , Tarushree Bari  3 , Reena Verma  4 , Rajesh Kamath  1
Affiliations

Unveiling the Heartbeat of Healing: Exploring Organizational Culture in a Tertiary Hospital's Emergency Medicine Department and Its Influence on Employee Behavior and Well-Being

Roshni D'Silva et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

This study examined the organizational culture of an emergency medicine department (EMD) in a tertiary hospital in Karnataka, India, using a prospective cross-sectional design from January to February 2024. It aimed to identify the predominant and supporting organizational cultures within the EMD and their influence on employee behavior and well-being, including job satisfaction, burnout, stress levels, and coping strategies. A total of 82 participants, including physicians, emergency medical technicians, and nurses, completed the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) and a self-designed questionnaire. Ethical clearance was obtained (IEC2-656). Clan culture emerged as the dominant culture (73.17%), emphasizing collaboration and adaptability, correlated with lower stress levels and high job satisfaction (90.78%). Emotional exhaustion was the most common burnout symptom (53.66%). The coping strategies varied, with employees in Clan cultures seeking social support, while those in Hierarchy cultures sought guidance from superiors. This study highlighted the significant role of organization culture in employee well-being and EMD effectiveness, influenced by social values like respect for authority. The limitations included single-setting analysis, an uneven subgroup representation, and a lack of qualitative insights. Future research should involve multiple hospitals and qualitative methods for a comprehensive understanding.

Keywords: burnout; emergency medicine department (EMD); employee well-being; job satisfaction; organizational culture; stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cameron and Quinn’s Competing Values Framework (CVF)—mapping organizational culture types. Source: https://www.ocai-online.com/about-the-Organizational-Culture-Assessment-Instrument-OCAI (accessed on 2 July 2024) [25].
Figure 2
Figure 2
EMD culture profile boxplot.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Overall stress levels in the EMD.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Stress levels among the employees perceiving a Clan culture.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Stressors identified by the employees in a Clan culture.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Stress levels among the employees perceiving an Adhocracy culture.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Stressors identified by the employees in an Adhocracy culture.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Stress levels among the employees perceiving a Market culture.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Stressors identified by the employees in a Market culture.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Stress levels among the employees perceiving a Hierarchy culture.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Stressors identified by the employees in a Hierarchy culture.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Strategies employed by the employees perceiving a Clan culture to cope with stress.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Strategies employed by the employees perceiving an Adhocracy culture to cope with stress.
Figure 14
Figure 14
Strategies employed by the employees perceiving a Market culture to cope with stress.
Figure 15
Figure 15
Strategies employed by the employees perceiving a Hierarchy culture to cope with stress.
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