Controlling healthcare professionals: human resource management

Studies in 20 Australian hospitals by UNSW Business School researchers reveal human resources practices rely too much on control and are preventing medical staff from using their discretion to make autonomous decisions on some basic people management tasks, including hiring to replace a departing staff member.
The upshot of too much control is disengagement and burnout among healthcare professionals and a delay in the introduction of improved standards for patient care. The findings revealed a predominance of a control-based approach to people management.

 Cogin, Julie Ann, Ju Li Ng and Ilro Lee, (2016). Controlling healthcare professionals: how human resource management influences job attitudes and operational efficiency. Human Resources for Health, 14:55 (open access)