A1 Journal article (refereed)
Change Talk in Hospital Management Groups (2020)

Mikkola, Leena; Stormi, Inka (2020). Change Talk in Hospital Management Groups. The Journal of Change Management, Early online. DOI: 10.1080/14697017.2020.1775679

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Mikkola, Leena; Stormi, Inka

Journal or series: The Journal of Change Management

ISSN: 1469-7017

eISSN: 1479-1811

Publication year: 2020

Volume: Early online

Publisher: Routledge

Publication country: United Kingdom

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14697017.2020.1775679

Open Access: Publication channel is not openly available

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/72653

Abstract

Recent national healthcare reforms have resulted in many changes to healthcare organizations. When social realities are enacted in social interactions, changes also occur in communication through discourses. In public hospitals, middle management groups form one important platform for change talk. This study aimed to identify and understand how change talk emerges in management group meetings. Data were collected from 10 hospital meetings, and change-related interactions were explored by analyzing sensemaking and positioning. In the data, change talk took three forms: collaboration, control and confrontation. These forms consisted of change discourses (change as a possibility, concealed change and enforced change) and simultaneously negotiated positions (expert position, power/powerlessness position and cohesion/opposition position). The findings suggest that middle managers use sensemaking power through discourses. Positioning is also of vital importance in directing change talk because it defines the power relations in the change process.

Keywords: organisational changes; change management (leadership); middle management; hospitals; meetings (arranged events); conversation analysis; discourse analysis

Free keywords: change talk; hospital; organizational change; positioning; sensemaking

Contributing organizations

Ministry reporting: No, publication in press

Preliminary JUFO rating: 1