Cocreation Culture in Health Care Organizations

Abstract

Both health care practice and academe recognize that organizations should modify their business practices to adopt cocreative behaviors and a service-dominant orientation. However, research has provided little understanding of the organizational culture that supports and facilitates cocreation. Contemporary organizational culture models are constrained from explaining cocreation, as they differentiate between an internal and external focus and do not acknowledge the interconnectedness of all actors across traditional organizational boundaries. This research conceptualizes organizational culture from a service-dominant perspective and provides a framework for a cocreation culture type. It utilizes two case studies in the health care industry, inclusive of 10 in-depth interviews and six focus groups, to conduct a systematic inductive approach to concept development. The findings reveal that a cocreation culture comprises five core cocreation behaviors: coproduction, codevelopment, coadvocacy, colearning, and cogovernance. Additionally, a series of supportive cocreation behaviors stimulate the interactive nature of cocreation: dialogue, shared market intelligence, mutual capability development, and shared decision-making. These behaviors are underpinned by organizational values of mutual respect, empowerment, and mutual trust. Health care practitioners are encouraged to create opportunities for customers to participate in cocreation activities related to their own treatment plans, ongoing strategic planning, and promotion and governance of the organization.