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Leadership talk: From managerialism to leaderism in health care after the crash

Bresnen, Mike, Hyde, Paula, Hodgson, Damian, Bailey, Simon, Hassard, John (2015) Leadership talk: From managerialism to leaderism in health care after the crash. Leadership, 11 (4). pp. 451-470. ISSN 1742-7150. (doi:10.1177/1742715015587039) (Access to this publication is currently restricted. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:76201)

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https://doi.org/10.1177/1742715015587039

Abstract

The economic downturn that began in 2008 led to massive cuts in spending targeted at managerial activities in the UK National Health Service (NHS). Although the appellation “manager” once conferred status in the NHS, managers have borne the brunt of reform and the term itself is in danger of falling into disrepute. Drawing upon perspectives on leadership that emphasize its constitutive nature, we examine the growing alternative emergent culture of “leaderism” in the NHS and how this relates to managerial practices and identity. Empirical case study research from three hospital trusts in the UK is presented. The findings highlight not only the many tensions associated with this purported shift toward “leaderism” in practice but also how interpretative flexibility associated with the concept of leadership has itself an important bearing upon understanding attempts to bridge long-standing managerial divides within health care.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1177/1742715015587039
Uncontrolled keywords: Leadership, leaderism, management, health care, NHS
Divisions: Divisions > Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice > School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research > Centre for Health Services Studies
Depositing User: Simon Bailey
Date Deposited: 05 Sep 2019 10:44 UTC
Last Modified: 17 Aug 2022 11:02 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/76201 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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