Fulfillment of administrative and professional obligations of hospitals and mission motivation of physicians.

BACKGROUND: To be successful, hospitals must increasingly collaborate with their medical staff. One strategic tool that plays an important role is the mission statement of hospitals. The goal of this research was to study the relationship between the fulfillment of administrative and professional obligations of hospitals on physicians' motivation to contribute to the mission of the hospital. Furthermore the mediating role of the physicians' emotional attachment to the hospital and moderation effect of the exchange with the head physicians were considered. METHODS: Self-employed physicians of six hospitals participated in a survey. Descriptive analyses and linear regression were used to analyse the data. RESULTS: The results indicate that affective commitment mediated the relationship between psychological contract fulfillment and mission statement motivation. In addition, the quality of exchange with the Chief Medical Officer moderated the relationship between the fulfillment of administrative obligations and affective commitment positively. CONCLUSION: This study extends our understanding of social exchange processes and mission statement motivation of physicians. We showed that when physicians perceive a high level of fulfillment of their psychological contract they are more committed and more motivated to contribute to the mission statement. A high quality relationship between physician and Chief Medical Officer can enhance this reciprocity dynamic.

The organization's mission statement: give up hope or resuscitate? A search for evidence-based recommendations.

The increasing complexity and dynamicity of their environment compels health-care managers to search relentlessly for effective management instruments. One strategic tool that both academics and practitioners have deemed critical to the success of any health-care organization is the development of a meaningful mission statement. However, despite the seemingly omnipresence of the concept, studies indicate that creating an effective mission statement seems to be extremely difficult, if not downright frustrating for a lot of health-care managers. This inability to create an effective mission statement roots for the greater part in the fact that the previous literature has provided little practical guidance on how health-care administrators should formulate and deploy mission statements. Given the increasing pressure on health-care organizations to develop an effective mission statement, this chapter (1) provides a detailed analysis of the mission statement concept based on a thorough literature analysis and (b) offers empirically based recommendations on how to successfully formulate and implement a mission statement within a health-care organization based on a systematic analysis of relevant empirical research. These analyses and the derived evidence-based recommendations will help health-care managers to revive their mission statement and make it more than a piece of paper.

The level and determinants of mission statement use: a questionnaire survey.

BACKGROUND: Although mission statements are one of the most popular management instruments, little is known about the nature and direction of the presumed relationship between mission statements and organizational performance. In particular, empirical insights into the degree of mission statement use by individual organizational members are insufficient. OBJECTIVES: We address the observed knowledge gap by (a) measuring the level of mission statement use (e.g., explaining the mission statement, making linkages to extant programs or practices, communicating enthusiasm, and adapting the mission statement to the personal work situation) by individual organizational members, and (b) identifying the antecedents that influence mission statement use. DESIGN: Questionnaires were used to collect data from a sample of 510 nurses from three Flemish hospitals. Mission statement use was measured by means of Fairhurst's Management of Meaning Scale. Antecedents of mission statement use were derived from the Theory of Planned Behavior and the mission statement literature. RESULTS: The findings indicate that mission statement use is low on average. Attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and formal involvement in mission statement communication proved to be significant determinants of mission statement use and accounted for 43% of the variance. The results of the conducted regression analyses indicate that nurses (a) who have a positive attitude towards the mission statement, (b) who perceive pressure from superiors and colleagues to use the mission statement, (c) who feel they are in control of performing such behavior, and (d) who are formally involved in the mission statement communication processes are more likely to use the mission statement. Furthermore, the results indicated that demographic characteristics are not associated with mission statement use. CONCLUSIONS: To effectively increase mission statement use, investments should focus on redesigning a work environment that stresses the importance of the organizational mission statement and provides detailed information on the ways that individual organizational members can contribute in realizing the mission statement.

Relevance of mission statements in Flemish not-for-profit healthcare organizations.

The aims of the study were to determine: (1) which components managers of Flemish not-for-profit healthcare organizations chose to incorporate in their mission statement, (2) how satisfied managers of Flemish not-for-profit healthcare organizations are with the formulation of various mission statement components and (3) if the managers of Flemish not-for-profit healthcare organizations subscribe the presumed positive relationship between mission statements and organizational performance. To address these research questions, a questionnaire was send to a convenience sample of Flemish not-for-profit healthcare managers and to a control group. The results indicate that Flemish not-for-profit healthcare managers do discriminate and differentiate between mission statement components and that they are not equally satisfied with the articulation of every component. Furthermore, Flemish not-for-profit healthcare managers do support the assumption that a well-written mission statement can produce a host of benefits. The mission statement is considered as an energy source, a guide in decision-making and to influence the managers' behaviour.

Mission statement perception: Are we all on the same wavelength? A case study in a Flemish hospital.

BACKGROUND: Although it is widely recognized that the effectiveness of mission statements is contingent upon the extent to which they are communicated to the organization's members, there is virtually no literature on how organizational members perceive the mission statement. PURPOSES: To address these shortcomings, a research project was set up to seek (a) to assess how managers and nonmanagers perceive the mission statement and (b) to determine if there is a perception gap between both groups. METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: In total, 102 nurses, nurse managers, and senior managers in a 217-bed Flemish hospital filled up a questionnaire, based on the Competing Values Framework for Managerial Communication, to assess their perception of the organizational mission statement. FINDINGS: There is a mission statement perception gap between managers and nonmanagers. The scores of the management group are, in almost all cases, significantly higher. These findings suggest that managers have a more positive attitude toward the mission statement. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: To optimize the impact of the mission statement, managers should measure the perception of the mission statement and try to remediate possible mission statement perception gaps. The Competing Values Framework for Managerial Communication is offered as a tool to assess (a) the presence, (b) the direction, and (c) the intensity of possible mission statement perception gaps.