The Innovation Imperative in Health Care Organisations

Critical Role of Human Resource Management in the Cost, Quality and Productivity Equation

New Horizons in Management series

Edited by Peter Spurgeon, Professor of Health Services Management, Medical Sch4ool, University of Warwick, UK, the late Ronald J. Burke, formerly Professor Emeritus, Schulich School of Business, York University, Canada and Professor Sir Cary Cooper, Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, UK

Health systems in the western world face increasingly intense pressure to contain or reduce costs, while countries such as China and India move towards universal coverage. The contributors illustrate that radical gains in efficiency and innovative practice are required internationally in health care systems. They argue that the high proportion of health care system costs invested in staffing place the human resource function at the forefront of meeting this challenge. Sustained system change and productivity gains, more effective management of staff and work climate are essential elements of reform and are all covered in this book.

‘Healthy organisations are twice as likely to get better results than unhealthy ones, and this could be a matter of life and death if your business is healthcare. Whatever way you look at it, HR has a key role to play and the authors once again points the way.’
– Clare Chapman, Group People Director, BT (British Telecom)

‘If healthcare systems around the world are to respond to the growing demands of an ageing population and advances in technology, then healthcare workforces will need to managed with imagination, agility and innovation. This important book sets out some of these challenges in a thoughtful and accessible way, allowing the reader to tap into the research pedigree of its authors and to draw out lessons and evidence which will inform both strategy and practice.’
– Stephen Bevan, Director, Centre for Workforce Effectiveness, The Work Foundation