Doctoral Dissertation Research: Maintenance of Tradition Amid Organizational Pressures to Change

本论文项目研究了一个独特的子群体如何通过在当代环境中保留传统知识和实践来创造新的组织实践。设置是一个独特的组织：子组拥有的医疗诊所。为了在临床治疗来自亚组和非亚组的患者，亚组的治疗方法集中在不同模式的整合上，包括常规治疗、综合治疗和传统治疗。该项目考察了诊所的子集团所有权对创造新治疗形式的影响。它还研究了不同的治疗方式是如何在一个机构中进行谈判的，这些治疗方式通常被认为是不相容的，因为它们涉及不同的理论、实践和证据。这个项目揭示了从业者如何跨越认识论和方法论的分歧，在他们试图建立更高效和有效的实践中进行合作。在这样做时，它有助于科学和技术的社会学和医学社会学，因为它探索不断变化的边界。本研究的方法包括参与观察、访谈和文献分析。参与观察允许回答有关亚组治疗实践和组合方式的问题。正在与参与设立和运作诊所的小组人员进行大约40次面谈。分析的文件包括媒体报道、诊所宣传材料和诊所发展的内部文件。随着综合诊所的激增，这项研究将帮助从业者预测在尝试结合不同的模式时可能出现的问题。此外，该项目将深入了解在创造适合不同文化的治疗服务方面面临的挑战和机遇。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This dissertation project investigates how a distinct subgroup may create novel organizational practices by preserving traditional knowledge and practices in a contemporary setting. The setting is a unique organization: a medical clinic owned by the subgroup. To treat patients both from the subgroup and not from the subgroup in their clinic, the subgroup’s approach to treatment centers on the integration of distinct modalities including conventional, integrative, and traditional treatment. This project examines the impact of subgroup ownership of the clinic on the creation of new forms of treatment. It also examines how distinct treatment modalities, often considered incompatible because they involve different theories, practices, and evidence, are negotiated in a single institution. This project reveals how practitioners collaborate across epistemological and methodological divides in their attempt to establish more efficient and effective practices. In so doing, it contributes to the sociology of science and technology and medical sociology as it explores changing boundaries.The methods for this study involve participant observation, interviews, and document analysis. Participant observation allows answering questions concerning subgroup healing practices and combining modalities. Approximately 40 interviews are being held with subgroup personnel involved with the establishment and operation of the clinic. Documents analyzed include media reports, clinic promotional materials, and internal documentation of the clinic’s development. As integrative clinics proliferate, this research will help practitioners anticipate the problems that may arise in attempting to combine disparate modalities. Further, this project will provide insight into the challenges and opportunities in creating culturally tailored services for treatment. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.