Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Organizational Structure of Care Work

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Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Organization of Care Work in Nursing HomesPrincipal Investigator: Naomi GerstelCo-Principal Investigator: Jason RodriquezUniversity of Massachusetts-AmherstOrganizations that provide care, such as nursing homes, face a tension between organizational demands in an increasingly market driven field and providing compassionate care in a time of personal crisis. This research uses comparative ethnographic methods, collection and analysis of company records, and intensive interviews with workers in two nursing homes, one for profit and the other non-profit, to analyze how care workers at all levels of the organizations grapple with this tension. The research addresses two related questions: to what extent and in what ways do care workers use emotions as a resource in their jobs? Second, how are emotions and care work shaped by the organizational structure of nursing homes? The findings from this research will inform public policy debates over the consequences of changes in the nursing home industry as the industry is being increasingly driven by growing pressures to contain costs and maximize revenue while continuing to provide a high standard of personalized, compassionate care, in the context of a rapidly aging U.S. population. The U.S. faces a severe nursing shortage, and this research will make a contribution by helping organizations understand how to provide workplaces that meet both care workers' and organizational needs.