Bureaucratie in het ziekenhuis. De theorie van Hall empirisch getoetst binnen één type organisatie

Samenvatting

In a study of 6 general hospitals in the Netherlands, R. Hall's dimensional model of bureaucracy was tested for its applicability within one type of organization. A pilot study with a group of 99 staff nurses generated a reliable version of the original questionnaire, translated & adapted to hospital organization. Individual analysis showed that the dimensional model was only partly represented by the facts & the 6 dimensions were not found to be independent. In the main study, only 5 dimensions, corresponding to 32 items, were kept. Nurses (number of cases = 442) representing 31 departments in 6 hospitals were interviewed. Of the respondents, 50 to 60% were students. Data were analyzed at the group level. Results show that the dimensions of hierarchy of authority, interpersonality, & rules/procedures are reliably measurable. Again, independence was not found. It is suggested that within this type of organization, bureaucracy might better be handled as a unit concept. The scale is judged valid to an acceptable degree. Before firm conclusions about the applicability of the dimensional model can be drawn, further research within other homogeneous groups of organizations will be needed. 7 Tables. Modified HA.