A critical discourse analysis of the link between professional culture and organisational culture
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Date
2020-02
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Employee Relations: The International Journal
Abstract
Purpose – Despite the fundamental role of culture in an organisational setting, little is known
of how organisational culture can be sometime determined/influenced by professional culture,
particularly in the global south. Using Nigeria as a research focus, this article uses critical
discuss analysis to examine the link between professional and organisational culture.
Design/Methodology/Approach – This study uses qualitative research approach to establish
the significance of professional culture as a determinant of organisational culture among
healthcare organisations.
Findings – We found that the medical profession, in Nigeria, is replete with professional duties
and responsibilities, such as professional values and beliefs, professional rules and regulations,
professional ethics, eagerness to fulfil the Hippocratic Oath, professional language,
professional symbols, medicine codes of practice, and societal expectations, all of which
conflate to form medical professionals’ values, beliefs, assumptions, and the shared perceptions
and practices upon which the medical professional culture is strongly built. Thus, making the
medical professional culture stronger and more dominant over the healthcare organisational
culture.
Research Limitations/Implications – The extent to which the findings of this research can be
generalised is constrained by the limited and selected sample of the research.
Practical Implications – The primacy of professional culture over organisational culture may
have dysfunctional consequences for HRM, as medical practitioners are obliged to stick to
medical professional culture over human resources practices. Hence, human resources
departments may struggle to cope with the behavioural issues that arise due to the dominant
position taken by the medical practitioners. This is because the cultural system (professional
culture), which is the configuration of beliefs, perceived values, code of ethics, practices, etc.
shared by medical doctors, subverts the operating system. Therefore, in the case of healthcare
organisations, HRM should support and enhance the cultural system (the medical professional
culture) by offering compatible operating strategies and practices.
Originality/Value – This article provides valuable insights into the link between professional
culture and organisational culture. It also enriches debates on organisational culture and
professional culture. We therefore contend that a strong professional culture can overwhelm
and eventually become an organisational culture.
Description
Staff Publication
Keywords
Organisational culture,, Professional culture,, Critical discourse analysis,, Medical doctors,, Cultural interplay,, Nigeria