Organisational Networks in Healthcare: Theory and Analysis

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Healthcare is currently faced with a myriad of issues. An aging population requires more complex healthcare provision. This increased complexity challenges the affordability, accessibility and quality of healthcare. As a response, more collaboration is required within and between healthcare organizations. To strategize a network for success, it is necessary to know about strategy for healthcare networks and how to form an effective mode of governance. In this course you will learn about strategy and governance in networks and will design social science research on healthcare networks. You will gain rich insights into the collaboration in intra- and interorganizational networks.

Course description

Healthcare is currently faced with a myriad of issues. An aging population requires more complex healthcare provision. For example, people live longer with chronic conditions that require treatment, while at the same time innovations in technology and medical sciences increase opportunities for diagnosis and treatment, requiring professionals from a variety of disciplines to be involved. This increased complexity challenges the affordability, accessibility, and quality of healthcare. As a response, more collaboration is required within and between healthcare organizations. Indeed, policymakers increasingly urge organizations to form collaborative networks to solve the complexities related to these developments in healthcare. However, it is difficult for policymakers to monitor the quality and functioning of these collaborative networks. This is problematic because these collaborative networks often do not achieve their goals.

A certain form of governance is necessary to align goals, stimulate activities, and prevent or solve conflicts. But what form of governance is most fitting under what conditions? And how do governance and structure affect collaboration (and v.v.)? To strategize a network for success, it is necessary to know about the strategy for healthcare networks and how to form an effective mode of governance.

In this course, you will learn how knowledge of strategy and governance in networks as well as designing social science research on inter-organizational networks can provide rich insights into the collaboration in intra- and interorganizational networks. Our setting is in healthcare because nowhere are organizational networks as prevalent - and as versatile - as in healthcare.

This course teaches skills in R and RStudio, concerning the packages xUcinet and iGraph for analysis and visualization of organizational networks in healthcare.

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Summer courses

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Fees and scholarships

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How to apply

Application and admission details

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Course level

Master / PhD

Credits

2 ECTS

Contact hours

Language

English

Tuition fee

€525 - €995

Practical applications

This course teaches skills in R and RStudio, concerning the packages xUcinet and iGraph for analysis and visualization of organizational networks in healthcare.
Moreover, this course teaches how to use the results from social network analysis in R and put it to use to assess the functioning of an (inter)organizational social network.
These analytic skills can be crucial for students considering a career in academia, for bachelor’s or master’s students wanting to apply social network analysis and visualization using R in their research or for professionals who want to understand the functioning of their own networks better.
Hour division
Monday
- Plenary lecture (1.5hr)
- Practical: R introduction & import network data & form work groups (1 hr)
- Practical: work groups start group assignment, make a plan (1 hr)
- Plenary: case description (1 hr)
Tuesday
- Plenary lecture (1.5 hr)
- Practical: group work (1.5 hr)
- Group work support (1 hr)
- Excursion (5 - 6 hrs)
Wednesday
- Plenary lecture (1.5 hr)
- Practical: network analysis in R/xUcinet (1 hr)
- Group work support (1 hr)
Thursday
- Plenary lecture (1.5 hr)
- Practical: group work on assignments (1.5 hr)
- Group work support (1 hr)
- Plenary lecture (1.5 hr)
Friday
- Presentations by students per group (2.5 - 3 hrs)
- Plenary: Feedback and suggestions for assignments (1 hr)
Forms of tuition and assessment

Forms of tuition
This course will be taught through plenary lectures (10 hrs); workgroups (10 hrs) an excursion (6 hrs) group work and support meetings (4 hrs).
Assessment
The course will be assessed with a group assignment, where you will develop a research proposal based on organizational and network theory, and research design.
Preliminary syllabus

Here you will be able to download the preliminary syllabus for the summer 2024 course.
^{*Note that it is preliminary and that it still might be subject to change.}
Learning objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Understand current theories (and their history) on strategy in networks;
- Design a social science research approach to collect (e.g. observation, interviews or surveys), analyze and report data on healthcare networks;
- Assess bottlenecks in the functioning of a network, related to its network structure, based on reflection with scientific theories;
- Apply organizational theory on networks and collaboration in a healthcare context.
About the course coordinator

Galina van der Weert is assistant professor at VU Amsterdam in the fields of organizational networks, healthcare and social network analysis. She has a master’s degree in both Public Administration and Organizational Psychology from the Radboud University Nijmegen. She finished her dissertation ‘Imperfect Integration: Governing Collaboration Through Networks in Healthcare, in 2023. Her research interests include interorganizational networks in healthcare; modes of governance; network archetypes; and social networks. Currently she is involved in research projects concerning the organization of integrated care arrangements and in bachelor- and master level courses at VU Amsterdam's Talma institute.
Tijs van den Broek is assistant professor at VU Amsterdam in the fields of social network theory & analysis, social media, corporate social responsibility, and social movements. He has a master's degree in both Industrial Engineering & Management and Psychology (cum laude) from the University of Twente, and defended his dissertation 'When Slacktivism Matters' cum laude at the same university. His research interests are social network analysis, online forms of organizing (e.g. slacktivism), online polarization, social evaluation of organizations (e.g. legitimacy and authenticity), corporate social responsibility & activism, and governance of data collaborations.