Ivan Spehar

Clinicians’ experiences of becoming a clinical manager: a qualitative study

BackgroundThere has been an increased interest in recruiting health professionals with a clinical background to management positions in health care. We know little about the factors that influence individuals’ decisions to engage in management. The aim of this study is to explore clinicians’ journeys towards management positions in hospitals, in order to identify potential drivers and barriers to management recruitment and development.MethodsWe did a qualitative study which included in-depth interviews with 30 clinicians in middle and first-line management positions in Norwegian hospitals. In addition, participant observation was conducted with 20 of the participants. The informants were recruited from medical and surgical departments, and most had professional backgrounds as medical doctors or nurses. Interviews were analyzed by systemic text condensation.ResultsWe found that there were three phases in clinicians’ journey into management; the development of leadership awareness, taking on the manager role and the experience of entering management. Participants’ experiences suggest that there are different journeys into management, in which both external and internal pressure emerged as a recurrent theme. They had not anticipated a career in clinical management, and experienced that they had been persuaded to take the position. Being thrown into the position, without being sufficiently prepared for the task, was a common experience among participants. Being left to themselves, they had to learn management “on the fly”. Some were frustrated in their role due to increasing administrative workloads, without being able to delegate work effectively.ConclusionsPath dependency and social pressure seems to influence clinicians’ decisions to enter into management positions. Hospital organizations should formalize pathways into management, in order to identify, attract, and retain the most qualified talents. Top managers should make sure that necessary support functions are available locally, especially for early stage clinician managers.

Clinicians in management: a qualitative study of managers’ use of influence strategies in hospitals

BackgroundCombining a professional and managerial role can be challenging for doctors and nurses. We aimed to explore influence strategies used by doctors and nurses who are managers in hospitals with a model of unitary and profession neutral management at all levels.MethodsWe did a study based on data from interviews and observations of 30 managers with a clinical background in Norwegian hospitals.ResultsManagers with a nursing background argued that medical doctors could more easily gain support for their views. Nurses reported deliberately not disclosing their professional background, and could use a doctor as their agent to achieve a strategic advantage. Doctors believed that they had to use their power as experts to influence peers. Doctors attempted to be medical role models, while nurses spoke of being a role model in more general terms. Managers who were not able to influence the system directly found informal workarounds. We did not identify horizontal strategies in the observations and accounts given by the managers in our study.ConclusionsManagers’ professional background may be both a resource and constraint, and also determine the influence strategies they use. Professional roles and influence strategies should be a theme in leadership development programs for health professionals.

General practitioners’ views on leadership roles and challenges in primary health care: a qualitative study

Abstract Objective: To explore general practitioners’ (GPs) views on leadership roles and leadership challenges in general practice and primary health care. Design: We conducted focus groups (FGs) with 17 GPs. Setting: Norwegian primary health care. Subjects: 17 GPs who attended a 5 d course on leadership in primary health care. Results: Our study suggests that the GPs experience a need for more preparation and formal training for the leadership role, and that they experienced tensions between the clinical and leadership role. GPs recognized the need to take on leadership roles in primary care, but their lack of leadership training and credentials, and the way in which their practices were organized and financed were barriers towards their involvement. Conclusions: GPs experience tensions between the clinical and leadership role and note a lack of leadership training and awareness. There is a need for a more structured educational and career path for GPs, in which doctors are offered training and preparation in advance. KEY POINTS Little is known about doctors’ experiences and views about leadership in general practice and primary health care. Our study suggests that: There is a lack of preparation and formal training for the leadership role. GPs experience tensions between the clinical and leadership role. GPs recognize leadership challenges at a system level and that doctors should take on leadership roles in primary health care.

Ledelsesutvikling for leger

Forskningen om betydningen av medisinsk ledelse preges av metodologiske svakheter, men funnene indikerer at ledere med medisinsk bakgrunn har positiv innvirkning på helsetjenesten (1–5). Leger som ledere kan også bidra positivt gjennom sin medisinske kunnskap og ved å fremme engasjement og delaktighet i legegruppen (4). På den annen side kan leger som først og fremst vektlegger eget fag og utøver autoritære former for ledelse ha en negativ virkning på organisasjonen (4).

Physician leadership development: towards multidisciplinary programs?

Background The format and content of leadership development programmes for physicians is a theme for discussion in the literature. Objectives The aim of this study is to explore healthcare executives’ perspectives on physician leadership development, focusing on perceived benefits and negative effects associated with multidisciplinary programmes. Methods We did a qualitative study based on data from semistructured interviews with 16 healthcare executives in US healthcare systems. Results We found that one group perceived programmes targeting one profession as advantageous, promoting openness and professional relationships among peers. Other executives argued that multidisciplinary programmes could add value because they could bridge professional boundaries, strengthen networks and build leadership capacity throughout an organisation. Costs, timing, organisational culture and a lack of knowledge about how to run multidisciplinary programmes were challenges our informants associated with multidisciplinary leadership development programmes. Conclusion This study identifies topics and challenges that can inform organisational policies and decisions about leadership development activities.