Mikael Ohrling, Sara Tolf, Karin Solberg-Carlsson, Mats Brommels
{"title":"Managers do it their way: How managers act in a decentralised healthcare services provider organisation - a mixed methods study.","authors":"Mikael Ohrling, Sara Tolf, Karin Solberg-Carlsson, Mats Brommels","doi":"10.1177/09514848211065467","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Purpose</b>: Decentralisation is considered a way to get managers more committed and more prone to respond to local needs. This study analyses how managers perceive a decentralised management model within a large public healthcare delivery organisation in Sweden. <b>Design/methodology/approach</b>: A programme theory evaluation was performed applying direct content analysis to in-depth interviews with healthcare managers. Balance score card data were used in a blinded comparative content analysis to explore relations between performance and how the delegated authority was perceived and used by the managers. <b>Findings</b>: Managers' perceptions of the decentralised management model supported its intentions to enable the front-line to make decisions to better meet customer needs and flexibly adapt to local conditions. The managers appreciated and used their delegated authority. Central policies and control on human resources and investments were accepted as those are to the benefit of the whole organisation. Leadership development and organisation-wide improvement programmes were of support. Units showing high organisational performance had proactive managers, although differences in manager perceptions across units were small. <b>Originality</b>: This, one of the first of its kind, study of a decentralisation in service delivery organisation shows a congruence between the rationale of a management model, the managers' perceptions of the authority and accountability as well as management practises. These observations stemming from a large public primary and community healthcare organisation has not, to our knowledge, been reported and provide research-informed guidance on decentralisation as one strategy for resolving challenges in healthcare service delivery organisations.</p>","PeriodicalId":45801,"journal":{"name":"Health Services Management Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6000,"publicationDate":"2022-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"3","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Health Services Management Research","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09514848211065467","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"HEALTH POLICY & SERVICES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 3
Abstract
Purpose: Decentralisation is considered a way to get managers more committed and more prone to respond to local needs. This study analyses how managers perceive a decentralised management model within a large public healthcare delivery organisation in Sweden. Design/methodology/approach: A programme theory evaluation was performed applying direct content analysis to in-depth interviews with healthcare managers. Balance score card data were used in a blinded comparative content analysis to explore relations between performance and how the delegated authority was perceived and used by the managers. Findings: Managers' perceptions of the decentralised management model supported its intentions to enable the front-line to make decisions to better meet customer needs and flexibly adapt to local conditions. The managers appreciated and used their delegated authority. Central policies and control on human resources and investments were accepted as those are to the benefit of the whole organisation. Leadership development and organisation-wide improvement programmes were of support. Units showing high organisational performance had proactive managers, although differences in manager perceptions across units were small. Originality: This, one of the first of its kind, study of a decentralisation in service delivery organisation shows a congruence between the rationale of a management model, the managers' perceptions of the authority and accountability as well as management practises. These observations stemming from a large public primary and community healthcare organisation has not, to our knowledge, been reported and provide research-informed guidance on decentralisation as one strategy for resolving challenges in healthcare service delivery organisations.
期刊介绍:
Health Services Management Research (HSMR) is an authoritative international peer-reviewed journal which publishes theoretically and empirically rigorous research on questions of enduring interest to health-care organizations and systems throughout the world. Examining the real issues confronting health services management, it provides an independent view and cutting edge evidence-based research to guide policy-making and management decision-making. HSMR aims to be a forum serving an international community of academics and researchers on the one hand and healthcare managers, executives, policymakers and clinicians and all health professionals on the other. HSMR wants to make a substantial contribution to both research and managerial practice, with particular emphasis placed on publishing studies which offer actionable findings and on promoting knowledge mobilisation toward theoretical advances.