One idea, four applications: process orientation in Swedish health care

Process orientation in one form or another has become a feature in the organizational language of many health care organizations. The objective of the present study was to investigate if different applications of process orientation exist and how these are characterised. Furthermore, the objective was to investigate how the applications of process orientation relate to the line organization. A questionnaire with the purpose to capture the respondents’ attitude towards their process initiatives was sent out to people with the explicit knowledge of process orientation within the Region of Västra Götaland. A total of 180 individuals were questioned (response rate 68%). Based on the results, this study suggests that process orientation can be classified into three various applications – process view, process mapping, and process management. On overall, the study also illustrates a fairly low application of process orientation. Worth noticing is that the perceived gap between present status and what is regarded as desired is totally one-sided – no one states that is would be desirable with less process orientation. By viewing process orientation as a spectrum of applications, the study contributes to a more nuanced debate on process orientation