Corporate mindset, denial and resistance to change in health leaders

Abstract

Purpose – Corporate culture is a product of managerial mindset and it consists of obscured, undisclosed and unconditionally accepted assumptions that underlie corporate behaviour. This study seeks to investigate the extent of corporate mindset since it is a causal factor in crises. Design/methodology/approach – Data were obtained by questionnaire from decision-making executives in hospitals, medical centres, aged care, pharmacies, dental clinics and practices in physiotherapy, chiropractic and podiatry. Findings – Organizations were judged to be in a state of medium disavowal concerning their belief that the impact of any crisis would be small. Around two thirds of participants indicated that the general mind-set of organizations contributes to effective crisis management, and that a welcoming attitude would prevail in the event of the implementation of a organization-wide, systems-wide, crisis management program. With regard to denial mechanisms or beliefs that hinder effective crisis management, two-thirds indicated inactive/passive resistance and one-third indicated active/aggressive resistance. The reasons for resistance were apathy, anti-change, and concern about cost. Originality/value – Cultural opposition to crisis preparedness varies significantly between organizations and poses a major barrier to effective crisis management. This study empowers health leaders by identifying several mindset changes that are required to create crisis-resilient health organisations.