Exploring changes in integration, differentiation, rules, coordination and performance following the introduction of a hospital planning centre: a case study.

Purpose: This study explores how a hospital works, which is important for further enhancing hospital performance. Following the introduction of a Hospital Planning Centre (HPC), changes are explored in a hospital in terms of integration (the coordination and alignment of tasks), differentiation (the extent to which tasks are segmented into subsystems), rules, coordination mechanisms and hospital performance.

Design/methodology/approach: A case study was conducted examining the hospital's social network, rules, coordination mechanisms and performance both before and after the introduction of the HPC.

Explaining integration and differentiation by identifying the rules and coordination mechanisms in a hospital's logistical system.

Purpose: Integration, that is, the coordination and alignment of tasks, is widely promoted as a means to improve hospital performance. A previous study examined integration and differentiation, that is, the extent to which tasks are segmented into subsystems, in a hospital's social network. The current study carries this research further, aiming to explain integration and differentiation by studying the rules and coordination mechanisms that agents in a hospital network use.

Identifying integration and differentiation in a Hospital's logistical system: a social network analysis of a case study.

Background: Integration, the coordination and alignment of tasks, has been promoted widely in order to improve the performance of hospitals. Both organization theory and social network analysis offer perspectives on integration. This exploratory study research aims to understand how a hospital's logistical system works, and in particular to what extent there is integration and differentiation.

Identifying logistical parameters in hospitals: Does literature reflect integration in hospitals? A scoping study.

In order to improve the quality and efficiency of hospitals, they can be viewed as a logistical system in which integration is a critical factor for performance. This paper describes the results of a scoping study that identifies the logistical parameters mentioned in international research on hospitals and indicates whether literature reflects system integration. When subsystems collaborate in order to accomplish the task of the entire organization, there is integration.