Organizational culture predicts job satisfaction and perceived clinical effectiveness in pediatric primary care practices.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, there has been a growing understanding that organizational culture is related to an organization's performance. However, few studies have examined organizational culture in medical group practices.
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of organizational culture on provider job satisfaction and perceived clinical effectiveness in primary care pediatric practices. RESEARCH
DESIGN: This cross-sectional study included 36 primary care pediatric practices located in Connecticut. PARTICIPANTS: There were 374 participants in this study, which included 127 clinicians and 247 nonclinicians. MEASURES: Office managers completed a questionnaire that recorded staff and practice characteristics; all participants completed the Organizational Culture Scale, a questionnaire that assessed the practice on four cultural domains (i.e., group, developmental, rational, and hierarchical), and the Primary Care Organizational Questionnaire that evaluated perceived effectiveness and job satisfaction.
RESULTS: Hierarchical linear models using a restricted maximum likelihood estimation method were used to evaluate whether the practice culture types predicted job satisfaction and perceived effectiveness. Group culture was positively associated with both satisfaction and perceived effectiveness. In contrast, hierarchical and rational culture were negatively associated with both job satisfaction and perceived effectiveness. These relationships were true for clinicians, nonclinicians, and the practice as a whole.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that practice culture is associated with job satisfaction and perceived clinical effectiveness and that a group culture was associated with high job satisfaction and perceived effectiveness.