Development Work in Healthcare: What Supportive and Deterrent Factors Do Employees Working in a Hospital Department Experience in an Improved Work Environment?

Work-related mental health issues, accounting for high worker absenteeism in the world’s developed economies, are increasing, with the main cause being workplace conditions. The health services sector is especially experiencing great problems with this, because of challenging psychosocial working conditions. The aim of this study was to explore employees’ experiences of development work with a focus on the work environment within a hospital department with an outspoken special development assignment. The special assignment was decided by the highest management at the hospital and concerned work environment, caring processes, and ways of organizing the work. Eleven employees completed two individually semi-structured interviews, approximately 7 and 13 months after the start of the special assignment at the department. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. The results reveal that both internal and external aspects influence the development work and highlight the importance of viewing the local development work in relation to how the rest of the organization functions. Important factors and conditions for a supportive and change-friendly work culture are discussed, as well as the need to plan for integration and change to create conditions for successful implementation of the results from organizational development and change initiatives.