Redesigning home care: From a bureaucratic to a socio‐technical type of provider organisation

In addition to higher requirements on their services, home care organisations are facing increasing external pressure as a result of changes in long-term care (e.g. new legislation, devolution of responsibilities to municipalities). Home care organisation are becoming increasingly aware that the bureaucratic organisational structure lacks the necessary flexibility to respond to these external pressures and are striving to implement a sociotechnical organisation in which self-managing teams are given full responsibility. This dissertation draws on two case studies to describe the effectiveness of this organisational change, in which the history of the organisation and the implemented strategy and approach play an important role. Organisations are also being confronted with external factors, including increasing pressure from the government to become accountable. This dissertation offers a more effective way to deal with external bureaucratisation and break the vicious internal cycle of bureaucracy.