| Hospitals, like all organizations, are greatly influenced by their cultures. In this study, the author analyzes the organizational cultures of for-profit hospitals, government, non-federal hospitals, secular, not-for-profit hospitals, and religious-affiliated, not-for-profit hospitals to determine similarities and differences that exist and to determine the role that hospital control plays in the development and maintenance of organizational culture.The results of the study indicate that the selected hospital control categories exhibit cultures that are significantly distinct from one another. More specifically, the study provides evidence that religious-affiliated, not-for-profit hospitals exhibit organizational cultures that are most heavily based on altruistic concerns, followed by government, non-federal hospitals, secular, not-for-profit hospitals, and for-profit hospitals. Additionally, the study indicates that for-profit hospitals exhibit organizational cultures that are most heavily based on "business" concerns, followed by secular, not-for-profit hospitals, government, non-federal hospitals, and religious-affiliated, not-for-profit hospitals. The research also shows that significant cultural uniformity exists among hospital departments within the same institutions and that promotional and support staff departments view hospital culture in much the same way. This study brings attention and understanding to the important relationship between organizational culture and control in American hospitals. |
