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Biography

Paul Longenecker started teaching at Otterbein in 2012 with the introduction of the Masters of Science in Allied Health program. Prior to coming to Otterbein, Longenecker taught at Lourdes University in Sylvania, Ohio in the College of Business and Leadership where he taught courses in the undergraduate business program, the Master of Organizational Leadership program and oversaw the undergraduate Health Care Administration major. Previously, he has served as adjunct faculty at Ohio University and The University of Toledo. In addition to his work in higher education, he worked in the health care industry for over 30 years as a clinician, manager, executive and consultant in variety of health care and non-profit settings.

Areas of Expertise (6)

Mentoring

Organization Culture

Health Care Ethics

Health Care Administration

Organizational Behavior

Succession Planning

Accomplishments (3)

Edgar C. Hayhow Award

American College of Health Executives

Best article in the Journal of Healthcare Management

2014

Faculty Excellence Award

Lourdes University

Education (3)

Kennedy-Western University: Ph.D.

The University of Toledo: M.B.A.

The University of Toledo: B.S.N.

Affiliations (1)

• St. Vincent Medical Center, Affiliate

Links (2)

• Faculty Page
• Research Gate

Selected Articles (4)

Why hospital improvement efforts fail: A view from the front line

Journal of Healthcare Management

P. Longenecker.

2014 In the 21st century, healthcare executives are facing changes of unprecedented magnitude in virtually every area, affecting their ability to compete. That hindrance brings with it a greater need for rapid and effective organizational change and improvement. Yet changes in the U.S. healthcare delivery system have historically been criticized as slow and less than effective in responding to the changes necessary for rapid performance improvement. To that end, the purpose of this applied research study was to help healthcare executives better understand the barriers to effective organizational change and improvement from the perspective of frontline leaders. Focus groups were conducted with 167 frontline leaders from four community hospitals to explore why hospital change efforts fail. Participants representing 11 different functional areas, including all facets of hospital operations, were asked to identify the primary causes of failure of a recent change initiative at their hospital. A content analysis of the focus group data identified 10 primary barriers to successful hospital change, some of which are ineffective implementation planning and overly aggressive timelines, failure to create project buy-in and ownership, ineffective leadership and lack of trust in upper management, unrealistic improvement plans, and communication breakdowns. Leadership lessons and recommendations based on the research findings are provided.

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The positive impact of individual core values

Journal of Business Ethics

P. Longenecker

2012 The role of values in organizations has been a highly researched topic (Collins in Good to Great, HarperCollins, New York, 2001; Collins and Porras in Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, HarperCollins, New York, 1997; Frederick and Weber 1990; Kouzes and Posner, The Leadership Challenge, 4th ed, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 2007; Pattison et al. Emerging Value in Health Care: The Challenges for Professionals, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Philadelphia, 2010). However, little research has focused on values in health care settings. In addition, the research that has been done has focused on values from an organizational perspective, not from an individual perspective. Based on these two factors, in addition to the maturation and growth of the hospice industry and the researcher’s prior studies on hospice leadership and organizational practices, a research study was conducted to evaluate the core values of hospice professionals. Another key driver of the research was the expressed difference identified by leaders within the hospice industry that values of individuals new to hospice were different than those who have worked in the industry longer. A web-based survey was utilized to gather core values and demographic data from hospice professionals. Data were collected over a one-year period and involved 531 hospice professionals from 33 states. The demographic information collected was similar to comparative data from previous hospice studies. The top three core values identified in the study were family, faith, and love, and represented 76 % of all responses. No statistically significant identifiable differences, based on demographic variables, were found. Based on the findings, no support was found for the perceived differences noted by leaders working in the hospice industry. However, it identified that hospice professionals regardless of demographic characteristics appear to hold similar values as being important. Based on the findings, core values appear to be an area of commonality versus difference among hospice professionals and could serve as a focal point for building a positive organizational culture. Further research is suggested to evaluate the unique meaning of the key values identified by hospice professionals in the study. In addition, replication of the study in other health care settings would be encouraged.

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The Ethical Balancing Act of Hospice Care

Home Healthcare Nurse: The Journal for the Home Care and Hospice Professional

P. Longenecker et al.

2010 In providing hospice care, clinicians are confronted with ethical challenges on a daily basis involving their patients and families, their personal values and beliefs, and organizational practices. Being able to objectively understand these ethical challenges and having a plan of action to address is essential in effectively fulfilling the role of being a hospice professional.

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Who says we don’t: The perspective from a small Catholic liberal arts college

Journal of Leadership Studies

P. Longenecker

2009 Although American higher education can justifiably take pride in its capacity to develop the student's ability to manipulate the material world through its programs in science, medicine, technology, and commerce, it has paid relatively little attention to the student's “inner” development—the sphere of values and beliefs, emotional maturity, moral development, spirituality, and self‐understanding.

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