Abstract
This paper concerns the place of culture in ambulance services and the role of cultural perpetuation and the ways these are cross-cut by professional cultures. The paper argues that it is however difficult to define culture adequately and the ways in which it affects behaviour are obscure. Similarly, cultures may not be transformed as easily as sometimes suggested. Nevertheless, transforming cultures rather than changing structures is being seen as a favourite prescription seen by governments around the world. Using the conceptual framework of ‘cultural perpetuation’ (Obgonna and Harris, 2014), the paper provides empirical evidence about the various factors which perpetuate cultural characteristics in the ambulance service in the UK. The paper analyses the intra and extra cultural characteristics in a chosen ambulance trust and concludes that the ambulance response time targets are one of the key factors which counter change owing to cultural perpetuation which adds to the difficulties of delivering effective reforms. The key contribution of the paper is to explore the cultural perpetuation in an important healthcare organisation which is often neglected in management research.
Original language | English |
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Publication status | Published - 17 Jun 2015 |
Event | European Academy of Management (EURAM) Conference - University of Warsaw, Poland Duration: 16 Jun 2015 → 20 Jun 2015 |
Conference
Conference | European Academy of Management (EURAM) Conference |
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Country/Territory | Poland |
Period | 16/06/15 → 20/06/15 |