Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Working Knowledge
Business Research for Business Leaders
  • Browse All Articles
  • Popular Articles
  • Cold Call Podcast
  • Managing the Future of Work Podcast
  • About Us
  • Book
  • Leadership
  • Marketing
  • Finance
  • Management
  • Entrepreneurship
  • All Topics...
  • Topics
    • COVID-19
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Finance
    • Gender
    • Globalization
    • Leadership
    • Management
    • Negotiation
    • Social Enterprise
    • Strategy
  • Sections
    • Book
    • Podcasts
    • HBS Case
    • In Practice
    • Lessons from the Classroom
    • Op-Ed
    • Research & Ideas
    • Research Event
    • Sharpening Your Skills
    • What Do You Think?
  • Browse All
    Cohort Turnover and Productivity: The July Phenomenon in Teaching Hospitals
    10 Jun 2014Working Paper Summaries

    Cohort Turnover and Productivity: The July Phenomenon in Teaching Hospitals

    by Robert S. Huckman, Hummy Song and Jason R. Barro
    The authors focus on the effects of turnover in a particularly high-stakes setting: teaching hospitals. Specifically, the authors examine the effects on productivity of cohort turnover, in this case, medical residents and fellows-and a similarly sized entry of new residents and fellows.
    LinkedIn
    Email

    Author Abstract

    We consider the impact of cohort turnover—the planned simultaneous exit of a large number of experienced employees and a similarly sized entry of new workers—on productivity in the context of teaching hospitals. Specifically, we examine the impact of the annual July turnover of residents in American teaching hospitals on levels of resource utilization and quality relative to a control group of non-teaching hospitals. We find that, despite the anticipated nature of the cohort turnover and the supervisory structures that exist in teaching hospitals, this annual cohort turnover results in increased resource utilization (i.e., longer length of hospital stay) for both minor and major teaching hospitals and decreased quality (i.e., higher mortality rates) for major teaching hospitals. Particularly in major teaching hospitals, we find evidence of a gradual trend of decreasing performance that begins several months before the actual cohort turnover and may result from a transition of responsibilities at major teaching hospitals in anticipation of the cohort turnover.

    Paper Information

    • Full Working Paper Text
    • Working Paper Publication Date: May 2014
    • HBS Working Paper Number: 14-113
    • Faculty Unit(s): Technology and Operations Management
      Trending
        • 05 Dec 2023
        • Research & Ideas

        Lessons in Decision-Making: Confident People Aren't Always Correct (Except When They Are)

        • 05 Dec 2023
        • Research & Ideas

        Are Virtual Tours Still Worth It in Real Estate? Evidence from 75,000 Home Sales

        • 22 Nov 2023
        • Research & Ideas

        Humans vs. Machines: Untangling the Tasks AI Can (and Can't) Handle

        • 25 Jan 2022
        • Research & Ideas

        More Proof That Money Can Buy Happiness (or a Life with Less Stress)

        • 05 Jul 2018
        • Book

        Henry Kissinger's Lessons for Business Negotiators

    Robert S. Huckman
    Robert S. Huckman
    Albert J. Weatherhead III Professor of Business Administration
    Howard Cox Healthcare Initiative Faculty Chair
    Unit Head, Technology and Operations Management
    Contact
    Send an email
    → More Articles
    Find Related Articles
    • Human Resources
    • Performance Productivity
    • Health
    • North & Central America
    • United States

    Sign up for our weekly newsletter

    Interested in improving your business? Learn about fresh research and ideas from Harvard Business School faculty.
    This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
    ǁ
    Campus Map
    Harvard Business School Working Knowledge
    Baker Library | Bloomberg Center
    Soldiers Field
    Boston, MA 02163
    Email: Editor-in-Chief
    →Map & Directions
    →More Contact Information
    • Make a Gift
    • Site Map
    • Jobs
    • Harvard University
    • Trademarks
    • Policies
    • Accessibility
    • Digital Accessibility
    Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College