Journal of Healthcare Management - July/August 2014 - (Page 287)

The Effect of Professional Culture on Intrinsic Motivation Among Physicians in an Academic Medical Center Katharina Janus, professor and director, Center for Healthcare Management, Ulm University, Germany, and Columbia University, New York City, New York E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y Today, most healthcare organizations aim to manage professionals' motivation through monetary incentives, such as pay for performance. However, addressing motivation extrinsically can involve negative effects, such as disturbed teamwork, gaming the system, and crowd-out of intrinsic motivation. To offset these side effects, it is crucial to support professionals' intrinsic motivation actively, which is largely determined by enjoyment- and obligation-based social norms that derive from professionals' culture. For this study, a professional culture questionnaire was designed and validated, the results of which uncovered three factors: relationship to work, relationship to colleagues, and relationship to organization. These factors served as independent variables for regression analyses. Second, Amabile's validated work preference inventory was used to measure intrinsic motivation as a dependent variable. The regression analysis was controlled for sex, age, and experience. The study revealed that relationship to work had the strongest (and a positive) impact on intrinsic motivation in general and on Amabile's intrinsic subscales, enjoyment and challenge. Relationship to organization had a negative impact on intrinsic motivation and both subscales, and relationship to colleagues showed a low positive significance for the intrinsic scale only. Healthcare organizations have mostly focused on targeting professionals' extrinsic motivation. However, managing dimensions of professional culture can help support professionals' intrinsic motivation without incurring the side effects of monetary incentives. For more information about the concepts in this article, contact Dr. Janus at katharina@katharinajanus.com. 287

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Journal of Healthcare Management - July/August 2014

Journal of Healthcare Management - July/August 2014
Contents
Interview With Charles R. Evans, FACHE, President of the International Health Services Group and Senior Advisor at Jackson Healthcare
The Most Effective Leadership Style for the New Landscape of Healthcare
Exploring Obstacles to Success for Early Careerists in Healthcare Leadership
Decisions Through Data: Analytics in Healthcare
Sustainable Competitive Advantage for Accountable Care Organizations
Hospital Characteristics Associated With Achievement of Meaningful Use
The Effect of Professional Culture on Intrinsic Motivation Among Physicians in an Academic Medical Center
Abstract from the Academy of Management

Journal of Healthcare Management - July/August 2014