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Promoting an Internal Market-Oriented Culture (IMOC) in Healthcare Services

  • Research Papers
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Journal of Service Science Research

Abstract

It is essential for healthcare service organizations to develop and promote an organizational culture that focuses on their frontline employees. The aim of this study is to explore one such frontline-focused organizational culture concept, which is labeled as internal market-oriented culture (IMOC). The study examines both potential factors that promotes IMOC as well as potential outcomes of IMOC. The concept of IMOC was tested in a quantitative study were frontline employees in public hospitals participated. The findings reveal that both management focus on employees and interdepartmental cooperation promotes an organization’s IMOC. IMOC was found to have a direct effect on frontline employees’ overall job satisfaction and turnover intentions. In addition, the relationship between IMOC and employees’ turnover intentions was found to be mediated by employees’ job satisfaction. No previous research has focused on how to promote IMOC in healthcare services, which makes this study a unique contribution to service research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Inland School of Business and Social Sciences, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Elverum, Norway

    Terje Slåtten & Gudbrand Lien

  2. Sykehuset Innlandet HF, 2381 Brumunddal, Brumunddal, Norway

    Ella Lupina

  3. KoRus-Øst/Sykehuset Innlandet HF, 2312 Ottestad, Brumunddal, Norway

    Knut Arne Gravingen

Authors
  1. Terje Slåtten
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  2. Gudbrand Lien
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  3. Ella Lupina
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  4. Knut Arne Gravingen
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Correspondence to Terje Slåtten.

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Author Biographies

Terje Slætten is an associate professor at Inland School of Business and Social Sciences, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences. Terje Slætten holds a PhD in Business administration from Karlstad University, Sweden. His research interests includes such as service quality, employee engagement, innovative behavior, leadership, sponsorship, psychological capital, employer branding, creativity and experiential marketing.

Gudbrand Lien is a professor at Inland School of Business and Social Sciences, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences. Gudbrand Lien has a dr. oecon (PhD) degree (within finance) from Norwegian School of Economics (NHH). Gudbrand Lien’s main field of research has been within energy finance, energy economics, quantitative innovation studies and agricultural economics.

Ella Lupina works as a controller at Sykehuset Innlandet. She holds a master degree from Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway

Knut Arne Gravingen works as Communications Advisor and Internet Editor at KoRus-Øst/Sykehuset-Innlandet HF. He holds a master degree from Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway.

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Slåtten, T., Lien, G., Lupina, E. et al. Promoting an Internal Market-Oriented Culture (IMOC) in Healthcare Services. J Serv Sci Res 11, 157–182 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12927-019-0008-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12927-019-0008-3

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