Organizational Culture for Effective Organizational Communication in Metropolitan Public Hospitals in Korea: Case of Seoul Metropolitan Hospital

Objectives: Many public hospitals face management challenges due to the dual nature of their public service role and the pressure to be profitable. Positive organizational culture and communication among hospital employees have a significant impact on organizational performance, this study aims to contribute to improving the organizational culture of public hospitals by identifying differences in the perception of organizational culture by employee characteristics. Methods: A survey of organizational culture was conducted online (web/mobile) from July 25 to August 19, 2022, among 4,047 employees with at least one year of service at 12 Seoul Metropolitan hospitals using a structured questionnaire. The response rate was 62%, with 2,519 respondents. Results: Based on the Quinn Competing Values Framework, the results of measuring the organizational culture of the Seoul metropolitan hospital showed that the Market culture was the highest, followed by the Clan culture, Hierarchy culture, and Adhocracy culture. However, there were differences in the perception of organizational culture by type of organization and employee characteristics. By occupation, doctors and health workers have Market culture. Nurses have Hierarchy culture and Administrative officers have Clan culture. By age, those in their 20s and 30s have Hierarchy culture, those in their 40s have Market culture, and those 50 and older have Clan culture. By gender, male have Clan culture and female have Hierarchy culture. Conclusions: This study aims to identify differences in organizational culture perceptions by employee characteristics and provide a basis for establishing detailed strategies to improve organizational culture among hospital employees.