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Talent Management Impacting Performance Using Action Research to Support an On-going Organizational Culture Transformation in a Health Care Organization A Dissertation SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY Jane Marie Kuhn IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Co-advisers Dr. Deanne Magnusson and Dr. Louis N. Quast September 2016 © Jane Kuhn 2016 Acknowledgments This research study would not have been possible without the support, participation, and guidance of many people. Thanks to my organization, which supported me in my endeavor to advance my education, combined with allowing internal research and encouraging its implementation. Without the organization’s leadership support, this study would not have been possible. Thank you for the contributions of the CART team members who participated in this research study. They willingly participated in the action research process, including reflective practices to determine lessons learned. They created a tight-knit community driven by the unwavering commitment to improve the organization, while developing relationships. I appreciated their openness and enthusiasm, making it a much richer experience than anticipated. In addition to these team members, many organizational experts supported the project and this research study. Thanks to Internal Communications, the Creative Marketing Team, Talent Recruiting, and the Talent Analytics team. Their expertise and commitment helped drive to completion with creativity and a great end product. Thanks to my co-advisers, Dr. Deanne Magnusson, Dr. Shari Peterson, and Dr. Louis N. Quast, who continued to support me throughout the years, as we discussed many research options and encouraged me to complete the research. Many thanks to my partner, Rick Benesh, for his help and support during this educational journey. And, finally, thanks to my mother, Della Kuhn, who inspired me to continue my education. She has always been highly supportive and knows the value of education. i Abstract This study explored the use of action research to support an on-going large-scale organizational culture transformation at a health care organization based in the Midwest. The Plano Clark & Creswell (2015) eight-step action research process was used to guide the study done by the Culture Action Research Team (CART), which consisted of eight employees. CART identified eight opportunities to support the on-going culture transformation. Three opportunities were researched further, with the decision to implement one of these ideas – the new employee experience which would create a consistent, welcoming experience for all new employees joining the organization. The team gathered and analyzed data, developed a three-phase implementation plan, created the communications and creative theme, established an implementation process, implemented the updated communications, and evaluated and reflected on the process. Results indicated that the updated process had a positive impact on new employees and hiring managers to support the on-going culture transformation. Based on the research process, the team identified five enablers (employee involvement, systems thinking and practice, senior leadership support, champions within the business, and communications) and two barriers (resistors and the matrix environment within a large organization) to culture change. Additionally, the team identified lessons learned to apply to future change opportunities. ii Table of Contents List of Tables .................................................................................................................. viii List of Figures ................................................................................................................... ix List of Appendices ..............................................................................................................x Chapter 1: Introduction ......................................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem .............................................................................................3 Purpose of the Study .....................................................................................................5 The Research Questions ................................................................................................6 Significance of the Study .............................................................................................7 Definitions ....................................................................................................................9 Chapter 2: Review of the Literature .................................................................................11 Organizational Culture Overview ...............................................................................11 Definitions of Organizational Culture ........................................................................14 Subcultures ..................................................................................................................19 Levels of Culture ........................................................................................................20 Observable Artifacts, Symbols, Heroes, and Rituals .............................................21 Values ....................................................................................................................24 Basic Underlying Assumptions..............................................................................25 History of Organizational Culture ..............................................................................26 Organizational Culture Models ..................................................................................28 Strength of Cultures ...................................................................................................30 Culture as Competitive Advantage ............................................................................30 Culture’s Impact on Performance ..............................................................................33 Culture Shifts or Changes ..........................................................................................37 Difficulty in Shifting Culture ................................................................................41 Leveraging Human Resources for Culture Change ...............................................45 Implementing Organizational Change .......................................................................47 Change Models and Levels ...................................................................................52 Employee Involvement in Change Efforts ............................................................55 Reinforcing Organizational Change ...........................................................................60 iii Chapter 3: Method ............................................................................................................62 Methodology and Method ..........................................................................................62 Definitions and Principles of Action Research ..........................................................63 Action Research as a Differentiated Methodology ....................................................66 Quality of Action Research ........................................................................................68 Insider Action Research .............................................................................................69 Generalizability of Action Research ...........................................................................69 Population and Sample ...............................................................................................70 Research Design .........................................................................................................71 Action Research Framework ................................................................................71 Data Gathering and Analysis ................................................................................74 Experiencing ...................................................................................................74 Enquiring .........................................................................................................74 Examining .......................................................................................................76 Chapter 4: Research Results .............................................................................................77 Step 1: Determine Whether Action Research is Possible in Your Setting .................77 Assessing Current Situation – Culture Work to Date ...........................................78 Identifying Organizational Research Opportunities .............................................79 Gaining Organizational Support ...........................................................................79 Step 2: Specify the Problem You Want to Study .......................................................80 Identifying Organizational Opportunities Through Employee Involvement ........81 Step 3: Locate Resources to Help You Address the Problem ....................................82 Forming the Action Research Team ....................................................................82 Conducting Ongoing Team Meetings ...................................................................88 Forming a Team-Based Learning Community .....................................................88
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