Agile human resource practices in healthcare service delivery in indian hospitals

Abstract

Healthcare, known for its complexity and human-centred processes, faces multifaceted challenges, especially in managing a diverse and dynamic workforce. Unlike other industries, healthcare grapples with additional complexities arising from socio-cultural diversity, resource constraints, and infrastructural disparities. The Indian healthcare sector operates in an unpredictable, highly competitive, and newlinecontinuously evolving environment, marked by increasing patient demands and shrinking resources. In this context, human resource management (HRM) emerges as a strategic priority, given that healthcare personnel are the backbone of service delivery. To address these challenges, this study explores the integration of Agile Human Resource (HR) practices in Indian hospitals as a strategic response to improving HRM effectiveness. Agile principles, originally developed in the IT sector for software development, are explored as transformative tools for improving HR processes in healthcare. The study positions Agile HR not only as a method for increasing internal efficiency, quality, and safety, but also as a strategic enabler for enhancing patient-centred service delivery in hospitals. This research employed a qualitative, exploratory research design, conducting thirty in-depth semi-structured interviews with HR managers and hospital administrators across fifteen selected private hospitals located in various states of India. Purposive sampling was used to select participants with direct experience in HR management and hospital administration. Data were analysed using Reflexive Thematic newlineAnalysis (RTA) to inductively identify emerging patterns, and Directed Content newlineAnalysis (DCA) to map responses against established Agile HR principles. Key findings reveal that elements of Agile HR, such as engagement and motivation, performance management and appraisal, talent acquisition and retention, teamwork and collaboration, technology integration, training and development programs and the use of Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) cycle.