Challenges in delivering brand promise – focusing on municipal health care organisations

Abstract

HEALTHCARE ORGANISATIONS PurposeTo investigate how healthcare professionals understand a new organisational brand and examine the ideas discussed in relation to it within health care organisations. Design/methodology/approachThe research is based on a discursive approach that facilitates understanding how the informants perceived a new organisation brand and how that might shape their activities in the enterprise. FindingsThe study identified four distinct interpretative repertoires: the organisational brand as an economic solution, the magic wand, the factory, and a servant to the customer. The new brand was understood in terms of economic and business-like functions marked by external branding and its signs (logos etc.).The brand is not communicated to patients or colleagues, and the factory metaphor is applied to work practices. Hence, several potential dilemmas arise concerning the brand promise, customer expectations, economic and efficiency gains and the professional values of employees. Research limitations/implicationsAdoption of private-sector practices in semi-public or public-sector organisations is common. This study focuses on how private-sector ideas diffuse into the organisations and how they are translated within them. Practical implicationsWe suggest a stronger emphasis on internal branding as a reconciliation to enhance legitimacy, highquality customer service and staff wellbeing. Originality/valueTheoretically, the unique contribution of the study is drawing upon health care branding, dilemma theory and discursive institutionalism in its interpretation. Consequently, it demonstrates how ideas about the brand and public health care are translated and communicated in the examined discourses and how those ideas reconstruct understanding and change behaviour within the organisations.

Branding higher education: an exploration of the role of internal branding on middle management in a university rebrand

“…Indeed, internal branding should precede design of tangible brand elements and external branding, whose goal is to represent a compelling "purchase value proposition" to potential and current customers (Simmons 2009, pp. 686-687; see also Vallaster and de Chernatony 2006;Davies 2008;Hytti et al 2015). Internal branding is imperative in enhancing employees' attachment and identification with the brand, as well as in managing employees' awareness and perceptions of the brand (Sullivan 2004;Foster et al 2010).…”

“…Recently, Saleem and Iglesias (2016) emphasise brand co-creation in internal branding, and argue that the aim of internal branding is to enable employee co-creation of brand value with various stakeholders. Miller et al (2014) propose that internal branding encourages both employees and managers to give their support to a new branding strategy (see also Hytti et al 2015;Iyer et al 2018). However, departing too much from what employees and other stakeholders have long regarded as core about the organisation, risks the danger of alienating them (Gotsi and Andriopoulos 2007).…”