Framing and Valuing Cultural Heritage at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital

Andrews, Scott D.

Framing and Valuing Cultural Heritage at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital

Andrews, Scott D.

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Publication Type:: Thesis
Issue Date:: 2023

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Andrews, Scott D.
dc.date.accessioned	2024-09-10T03:45:19Z
dc.date.available	2024-09-10T03:45:19Z
dc.date.issued	2023
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/180774
dc.description	University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Business.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.description.abstract	Healthcare institutions like Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPA) in Sydney, Australia, are large complex organisations under increasing pressure to justify all financial and operational decisions, including the presence and use of organisational heritage. RPA Hospital operates from within infrastructure built across a 141-year history, containing a wealth of both cultural built and movable heritage located across its campus. While cultural heritage is ubiquitous in society, and is widely researched and explored, the impact and value of organisational heritage specifically situated within a hospital like RPA is not understood. Further, while much has been written about cultural heritage, hospitals, organisational identity, and culture, no research has expressly linked and framed these organisational dimensions as organisational capital, nor has organisational cultural heritage been adequately researched and analysed. This gap in knowledge presents a novel field of research and provides for an opportunity to research and analyse material cultural heritage framed within a large public hospital. The present study identifies a new field of inquiry focusing on the role of organisational cultural heritage as an identity and cultural medium, and a strategic tool within a large public hospital, and aims to answer the critical question: What is the meaning and value of organisational cultural heritage to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital? It does so through exploring organisational member perceptions of RPA heritage use and value. Through a qualitative research approach utilising principles of grounded theory, interview and focus group sessions were conducted involving 32 study participants. This research concludes that there is value in determining and understanding the heritage and history of a healthcare institution such as RPA Hospital. Understanding, acknowledging, and respecting the organisational journey, foundational stories, physical artifacts, and organisational memory, which are all demonstrated components of identity, culture, and image, together represent an opportunity to create organisational value. In essence, heritage and history are valuable organisational management tools that when used effectively can underpin an organisation and can be used to strengthen organisational values. When used ineffectively, can instead add to division across the organisation. Together, these findings contribute to the field of heritage and management studies providing further insight to the meaning and value of organisational heritage situated within a public hospital. There are consequences associated with the preservation and presentation of built and movable heritage, and these consequences offer both advantages and disadvantages to the organisation that is RPA Hospital.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.format	Thesis (PhD)
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US.UTF-8
dc.relation	https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/180774/1/thesis.pdf
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights	The author owns the copyright in this thesis including all reproduction and reuse rights for the work. The work may not be altered without the permission of the copyright owner. Attribution is essential when quoting or paraphrasing from this thesis.
dc.rights	© 2023 Scott D. Andrews
dc.rights	au.edu.uts.lib/cph
dc.title	Framing and Valuing Cultural Heritage at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital	en_US.UTF-8
dc.type	Thesis
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*

Abstract:

Healthcare institutions like Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPA) in Sydney, Australia, are large complex organisations under increasing pressure to justify all financial and operational decisions, including the presence and use of organisational heritage. RPA Hospital operates from within infrastructure built across a 141-year history, containing a wealth of both cultural built and movable heritage located across its campus. While cultural heritage is ubiquitous in society, and is widely researched and explored, the impact and value of organisational heritage specifically situated within a hospital like RPA is not understood. Further, while much has been written about cultural heritage, hospitals, organisational identity, and culture, no research has expressly linked and framed these organisational dimensions as organisational capital, nor has organisational cultural heritage been adequately researched and analysed. This gap in knowledge presents a novel field of research and provides for an opportunity to research and analyse material cultural heritage framed within a large public hospital. The present study identifies a new field of inquiry focusing on the role of organisational cultural heritage as an identity and cultural medium, and a strategic tool within a large public hospital, and aims to answer the critical question: What is the meaning and value of organisational cultural heritage to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital? It does so through exploring organisational member perceptions of RPA heritage use and value. Through a qualitative research approach utilising principles of grounded theory, interview and focus group sessions were conducted involving 32 study participants. This research concludes that there is value in determining and understanding the heritage and history of a healthcare institution such as RPA Hospital. Understanding, acknowledging, and respecting the organisational journey, foundational stories, physical artifacts, and organisational memory, which are all demonstrated components of identity, culture, and image, together represent an opportunity to create organisational value. In essence, heritage and history are valuable organisational management tools that when used effectively can underpin an organisation and can be used to strengthen organisational values. When used ineffectively, can instead add to division across the organisation. Together, these findings contribute to the field of heritage and management studies providing further insight to the meaning and value of organisational heritage situated within a public hospital. There are consequences associated with the preservation and presentation of built and movable heritage, and these consequences offer both advantages and disadvantages to the organisation that is RPA Hospital.

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