The stakeholder landscape in the public healthcare process—challenges, elements and implications for stakeholder management

Authors

  • Kari-Pekka Tampio Northern Ostrobothnia Hospital District P.O. Box 10, FIN-90029 OYS, FINLAND
  • Henriikka Haapasalo Northern Ostrobothnia Hospital District P.O. Box 10, FIN-90029 OYS, FINLAND
  • Harri Haapasalo Industrial Engineering and Management, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 4610, FIN-90014 University of Oulu, FINLAND
  • Farroq Ali Industrial Engineering and Management, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 4610, FIN-90014 University of Oulu, FINLAND

Abstract

The complexity, multifunctionality and multidisciplinary nature of public healthcare have created a challenging environment in which to plan, organise and manage healthcare processes. Among the main challenges are the governance model and the fact that there are numerous stakeholders. This study analyses the regional public healthcare process through stakeholder analysis and an evaluation of the stakeholder landscape. The overall purpose of this study is to describe the complexity of stakeholder management in our healthcare process case study and describe what impacts stakeholder management and landscape have on healthcare process management. It also provides stakeholder landscape as a method to pland and manage public processes containing numerous stakeholders.

Based on the analysis of our healthcare process case study (Northern Ostrobothnia Hospital District), complexity (both numbers and relationships), uncertainty, dynamism and institutional context all pose challenges for the public management. Surprisingly, our informants gave incoherent accounts of formal – not to mention informal – stakeholder salience. There is evident potential to utilise stakeholder landscaping, as well as its social and healthcare development and management elements (planning, organising and implementing), to achieve more efficient and effective results. The method applied in this study can be seen as an important contribution to public healthcare process management.

Author Biography

Harri Haapasalo, Industrial Engineering and Management, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 4610, FIN-90014 University of Oulu, FINLAND

Head of Research Unit, Professor (Dr) Harri Haapasalo has been in his Industrial Engineering and Management position over 20 years at the University of Oulu, Finland. His original M.Sc. Eng. degree is from Civil Engineering, but he also holds M.Sc. in Economics. His D.Sc. Tech. degree is in Industrial Engineering and Management. He has research interests in governance and business management, product management and also in project management. The list of publications covers more than 300 international scientific publications. He has been as chair and committee member in organizing numerous international conferences and has been as a reviewer and belongs to the editorial board for several international scientific journals.

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Published

2023-05-04

How to Cite

Tampio, K.-P., Haapasalo, H., Haapasalo, H., & Ali, F. (2023). The stakeholder landscape in the public healthcare process—challenges, elements and implications for stakeholder management. International Public Management Review, 22(1), 114–143. Retrieved from https://ipmr.net/index.php/ipmr/article/view/467

Issue

Vol. 22 No. 1 (2022)

Section

Articles

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