Publication: Sustainable leadership in a Thai healthcare services provider
Issued Date
2011
Resource Type
Language
eng
File Type
application/pdf
No. of Pages/File Size
33639 bytes
Rights
Mahidol University
Rights Holder(s)
Emerald Group
Bibliographic Citation
International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance. Vol.24, No.1 (2011), 67-80.
Suggested Citation
Sooksan Kantabutra Sustainable leadership in a Thai healthcare services provider. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance. Vol.24, No.1 (2011), 67-80.. Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/3106
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Thesis
Title
Sustainable leadership in a Thai healthcare services provider
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Abstract
Purpose Rhineland leadership practices contrast sharply with the prevailing Anglo/US business model of
short-term maximization of profitability, and are said to lead to greater corporate sustainability, at least in
highly developed economies. However, the applicability of Rhineland leadership to less developed
economies has not yet been demonstrated. This paper sets out to compare the business practices of a social
enterprise that delivers healthcare services in Thailand and Avery's 19 sustainable leadership practices
derived from Rhineland enterprises.
Design/methodology/approach Adopting a case study approach, multi-data collection methods included
non-participant observations made during visits to the enterprise, and reference to internal and published
documentation and information. Semi-structured interview sessions were held with many stakeholders,
including top management, staff, patients and a former consultant.
Findings In the Thai healthcare organization studied, evidence was found for compliance with 15 of
Avery's 19 sustainable leadership elements, but to varying degrees. The elements were grouped into six
core sets of practices: adopting a long-term perspective, staff development, organizational culture,
innovation, social responsibility, and ethical behavior. One element was found to be not applicable, and no
evidence was found for conformity with Rhineland principles on the remaining three sustainable practices.
The paper concludes that Avery's 19 Rhineland practices provide a useful framework for evaluating the
corporate sustainability of this Thai enterprise.
Practical implications Healthcare enterprises in Thailand and possibly in other Asian countries that wish
to sustain their organizational success could adopt Avery's 19 Sustainable Leadership Grid elements to
examine their leadership practices, and adjust them to become more sustainable.
Originality/value The relevance of Rhineland sustainable leadership principles to enterprises in less
developed economies remains to be investigated. This study attempts to uncover this unknown.