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The Limits of Control: A Systemic, Model-Based Approach to Changing Organisations Towards Better Health

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Salutogenic organizations and change

Abstract

In this chapter, we combine a generic health development model, developed by researchers, with a management model, developed for company leaders, blending the logics of research and practice. The emerging Organisational Health Development (OHD) model is devised as a frame of reference for organisations, consultants and intervention researchers collaborating on targeted health-optimisation projects. This model serves as a common mindmap used to generate visibility of health development, enable all stakeholders to speak the same language, develop compatible perspectives and facilitate mutual action and the cross-linking and monitoring of targeted measures. It is also thought to support systemic thinking, i.e. enable the system’s members to see their blind spots, formulate hypotheses on work and health and raise awareness for the circularity of and the interactions between processes, organisations and employees. In applying this model, our intention is to also facilitate the generation of acceptable evidence for the research community. So far, our experience has shown that companies are interested in using mindmaps to facilitate discourse and action on health optimisation. Our approach is especially attractive to larger companies that already implement many optimisation measures, but that want to ameliorate their corresponding strategic efforts, i.e. companies that want to reduce complexity, enhance strategic visibility and necessity and optimise operative planning and spending on the multiple optimisation processes they use to target health and performance.

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Acknowledgements 

We thank our consulting professionals: Anita Blum-Rüegg, Alice Inauen and Anja Barizzi. We also thank our former consulting professionals: Katharina Lehmann, Silvia Deplazes and Anita Emch. We thank our research team: Rebecca Brauchli, Désirée Füllemann, Annemarie Fridrich, Katharina Vogt, Romualdo Ramos, Andrea Huber and Ariane Wepfer.

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  1. Division of Public and Organizational Health, Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Zurich, Hirschengraben 84, 8001, Zurich, Switzerland

    Gregor J. Jenny & Georg F. Bauer

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  1. Gregor J. Jenny
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Correspondence to Gregor J. Jenny .

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  1. University of Zürich, Hirschengraben 84, Zürich, 8001, Switzerland

    Georg F. Bauer

  2. University of Zürich, Hirschenbgraben 84, Zürich, 8001, Switzerland

    Gregor J. Jenny

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Jenny, G.J., Bauer, G.F. (2013). The Limits of Control: A Systemic, Model-Based Approach to Changing Organisations Towards Better Health. In: Bauer, G., Jenny, G. (eds) Salutogenic organizations and change. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6470-5_10

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