Bringing humanity into view: action research with Qatar’s ambulance service
Journal of Health Organization and Management
ISSN: 1477-7266
Article publication date: 21 August 2017
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to argue for the widening of attention in healthcare improvement efforts, to include an awareness of the humanity of people who work in the sector and an appreciation of the part human connection plays in engagement around good quality work. Theoretical frameworks and research approaches which draw on action-based, interpretive and systemic thinking are proposed, as a complement to current practices.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper describes the early stages of an action research (AR) project, which used the appreciative inquiry “4D” framework to conduct participative inquiry in Hamad Medical Corporation’s ambulance service in Qatar, in which staff became co-researchers.
Findings
The co-researchers were highly motivated to work with improvement goals as a result of their participation in the AR. They, and their managers, saw each other and the work in new ways and discovered that they had much to offer.
Research limitations/implications
This was a small-scale pilot project, from which findings must be considered tentative. The challenges of establishing good collaboration across language, culture and organisational divides are considerable.
Practical implications
Appreciative and action-oriented inquiry methods can serve not only to find things out, but also to highlight and give value to aspects of humanity in the workplace that are routinely left invisible in formal processes. This, in turn, can help with quality improvement.
Originality/value
This paper is a challenge to the orthodox way of viewing healthcare organisations, and improvement processes within them, as reliant on control rather than empowerment. An alternative is to actively include the agency, sense-making capacity and humanity of those involved.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This action research project was enabled by funding from Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar. HMC Qatar Ambulance Service Project Participants (in alphabetical order by surname, honouring their collaboration in this project HMC Ambulance Service Steering Group: Emmanuelito Amigleo; Craig Campbell; Mahoumed Farhat; Susan Fox; Mabrouk Jallali; Jonnand Literal; Brendon Morris; Raouf Mraidi; Chokri Ben Nasr; Rob Owen; Kirsten Uhde; Ashridge Business School: Wendy Briner; Danny Chesterman; Gill Coleman; Eric Decker; Kelly Lavelle; Steve Marshall; Liz Wiggins).
Citation
Coleman, G. and Wiggins, L. (2017), "Bringing humanity into view: action research with Qatar’s ambulance service", Journal of Health Organization and Management, Vol. 31 No. 5, pp. 581-597. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHOM-10-2016-0208
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited