Investigation of the Organizational Culture of Healthcare Professionals during the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Post-Pandemic Era: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Tertiary Referral Hospital

Introduction: Organizational culture is an important factor influencing the operation, effectiveness, and quality of healthcare services. The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges for healthcare systems, highlighting the role of organizational culture in crisis management and organizational resilience. Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the existing and preferred organizational culture of healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic and the post-pandemic era in a tertiary referral hospital. Material and Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted at the General Hospital for Diseases of the Chest of Athens “Sotiria”. A total of 139 healthcare professionals participated in the study. Data were collected using the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) developed by Cameron and Quinn, which is based on the Competing Values Framework. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics software. Results: The dominant organizational culture during the pandemic period was the Hierarchy culture, with a mean score of 33.37±14.48. In contrast, the preferred future organizational culture was the Clan culture, with a mean score of 35.01±13.34. Women reported higher scores in the preferred Adhocracy culture compared with men (p=0.03). Physicians rated the existing Hierarchy culture higher, whereas nurses expressed a greater preference for the Clan culture. Job satisfaction was positively correlated with the existing Clan culture (r=0.41) and negatively correlated with the preferred Market culture (r=-0.33). Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have strengthened hierarchical organizational culture characteristics within healthcare organizations. However, healthcare professionals express the need to transition towards more human-centered and collaborative management models. Strengthening participative leadership, collaboration, and staff support may contribute to improving job satisfaction and the organizational resilience of healthcare services.

Keywords: organizational culture, COVID-19, healthcare professionals, hospitals, job satisfaction, OCAI