Applying Process Management in Healthcare –Investigating Implementation Difficulties

Paper in proceeding, 2009

This paper focuses on the meeting between a Swedish healthcare organization and the idea of process management. It is evident that the organization itself in many ways becomes an obstacle to the achievement of a process oriented management style. The empirical story that gives voices from the healthcare staff reveals conflicts about the organizing principle and structures such as budgeting and reimbursement systems - obviously built on a more functional view of an organization. It is not completely evident that the two alternative perspectives are easily able to co-exist, and managing seems to be an advanced balancing act.