Ambiguous meanings of projects as facilitators of sensegiving

Lunkka, Nina; Suhonen, Marjo

doi:10.1111/jonm.12223

Cited by 5 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…Public healthcare also comprises professional, bureaucratic and hierarchic organizations (e.g. Bate, 2000), a dynamic that presents challenges for public healthcare change projects that utilize project-based work (Lunkka & Suhonen, 2015; see also Suhonen & Paasivaara, 2015). Therefore, healthcare change projects should be studied in a way that accounts for their emergent nature and unique context (see Aubry & Lavoie-Tremblay, 2018;Aubry et al, 2014;Winch et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Discursive Sensemaking Perspective on Project-Based Work in Public Healthcare

Lunkka

Pietiläinen²,

Suhonen

2019

Project Management Journal

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This study investigates project participants’ sensemaking of lived work experiences during periods of organizational change within Finnish public healthcare. It introduces a discursive sensemaking perspective to investigate lived experiences, that is, reflexive practitioners’ situational thinking. Drawing upon 17 interviews, the study identifies diverse repertoires through which the lived experiences are considered meaningful. These are repertoires of: (1) transformation, (2) realism, (3) politics, (4) individuality, (5) reflexivity, and (6) senselessness. The results show that project-based work in public healthcare differs from project participants’ expectations because projects are perceived to increase rather than decrease bureaucracy and include unsustainable working conditions that have to be endured.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Discursive Sensemaking Perspective on Project-Based Work in Public Healthcare

Lunkka

Pietiläinen²,

Suhonen

2019

Project Management Journal

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“…On the project group level, the dimensions of human resources include interaction, trust, innovativeness and staff well-being [3,26]. A project group that is able to utilize its competence to the full at as early a stage as possible is able to respond to the demands they are faced with, thus promoting project success [11].…”

Section: Factors That Define and Guide Project Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is associated with the utilization of the collective competence of the project group [11], open dissemination of information and discussion aimed at assessing activities [27], as well as the ability to provide constructive feedback [8] and deal with unexpected situations [13]. The ability to learn from the mistakes of earlier projects is also an important skill from the viewpoint of human resources [3]. Taking into account the effects of different professional and organizational cultures and motivating the project group also occupies a key position in project group work [28].…”

Section: Factors That Define and Guide Project Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this study, a project is seen as a unique, goaloriented and planned entity of work separate from normal daily work [1]. A project is also an arena in which knowledge is transferred [2] and generated, and learning is essential for success [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research has focused on the results achieved with projects [12], their evaluation [13], and aspects such as how to reduce costs in healthcare services with the help of project management [14]. In Finland, the work done in healthcare projects has previously been studied using interviews [1,3,15], but to our knowledge, no descriptive survey-based study has been conducted prior to this. It is particularly important to study this subject in Finland because significant sums of money have in recent years been allocated to development work carried out in projects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The work done in healthcare projects

Pohjola¹,

Suhonen²,

Mattila³

et al. 2016

J Nurs

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Aim: The aim of the study was to analyze healthcare projects from the viewpoint of the planning, implementation and evaluation of the projects. The purpose was to generate knowledge about the work done in projects that can be utilized in healthcare management. Methods:The study was a non-experimental survey. Descriptive statistics were collected using a convenience sampling method. The data were collected from all hospital-funded development projects in all acute care setting in one Finnish university hospital (€1.1M spent on funding for the projects in 2008-2010; 58 projects). 397 project participants were recruited for participation in the web survey which formed the basis for the research data. The e-questionnaire was comprised of five domains: Time and staff resources used for the project (7 questions); Project planning and providing information about the project (8 questions); Experiences of project implementation (16 questions); Evaluation (7 questions); Human resources affecting the project outcomes (26 questions). The questionnaire included background information as well as open-ended questions enquiring about the participants' views on the development of project related activities. After two survey rounds the response rate was 29.5% (n=117). Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. Results: 71% of the project participants took part in the project in addition to their usual responsibilities. The participants were mainly physicians and nurses (77%). Half of the participants were in managerial positions and had previous project experience. 50% of the participants thought that the information communicated about the project was sufficient. The project groups were multi-professional; cooperation was seen as having been successful and that aims were perceived as having been achieved successfully(92.5%). Although the participants noticed a conflict between their own work and the project work, their eagerness for future-oriented development and smooth integration of project results as part of their daily routines were the main reasons they took part in the projects. Conclusions: Setting up clear guidelines and adhering to them would encourage experts to take part in projects. Dissemination of information during the project internally and externally would strengthen the degree of commitment of the project participants. Integration of projects into the hospital strategy would be of primary importance to guarantee the success of long-term systematic development work.

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