Health Organization Case Study: Banner Health

Banner Health
Name
Affiliation/Institution
Course
Banner Health
Introduction
Banner Health is the third largest health system in the US, and it was formed in 1999 after the merger of Samaritan Health System and Lutheran Health Systems. Samaritan Health Systems was the oldest and its excellence in the provision of clinical services had won it a decent reputation in California and Arizona. Conversely, Lutheran Health Systems was formed in 1938 (27 years after Samaritan), and like Samaritan, it also built a name for itself particularly in "the rural West and Midwest." The two organizations grew in prominence over the years and earned their place in the healthcare sector of the United States. The merger in 1999 shocked the country because expectations were that either organization would drop out of the agreement. However, by September 1999, the biggest non-profit healthcare system in the history of the US was formed. According to the then CEO and chairman, Steve Orr, of the newly formed Banner Health, the "partnership was based on a mutual commitment to a non-for-profit mission, similar values and a common vision of growth and future success." From the above statement, it appears that both organizations were focused and committed in their quest to provide health care services to as many people as possible.
The merger created a health system that had more than $1.6 billion in annual revenue and employed more than 22,000 employees. Lutheran alone brought with it 28 hospitals that it either managed or leased and 30 nursing homes together with other health services in the 14 states that it had operations in. Conversely, Samaritan Health Systems whose operations were mainly in the state of Arizona brought its four acute care hospitals together with other health-related services in the state of Arizona. At the time, there was no single non-profit or profit making health system that had a resume similar to Banner Health. However, the obvious challenge of maintaining the same commitment and focus as the parent organizations was expected but the system has managed to improve the quality of clinical service provided while also adhering to the doctrines of the parent companies. While selling the idea of the merger to the media, the management denied claims of seeking ways of reducing cost by retaliating that they joined operations with the objective of expanding their service delivery. Since its inception, Banner Health has never looked back and regardless of media reports and critics, the organization has continued to develop and grow its operations to the advantage of the Arizona community. This article will assess Banner Health’s leadership and organizational culture and their impact on the organization’s growth and development since the 1999 merger.
Leadership
According to Sharma and Jain (2013), "leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent." From the above definition, a leader influences or guides other members of a group towards a common goal. Leadership and management are often studied as different terms. However, ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"...