A ‘movement for improvement’?: a qualitative study of the adoption of social movement strategies in the implementation of a quality improvement campaign

Given the difficulties of implementing ‘top-down’ quality improvements, health service leaders have turned to methods that empower clinicians to co-produce ‘bottom-up’ improvements. This has involved the adoption of strategies and activities associated with social movements, with clinicians encourag...

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Main Authors: Waring, Justin, Crompton, Amanda
Format: Article
Published: Wiley 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/40697/
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author Waring, Justin
Crompton, Amanda
author_facet Waring, Justin
Crompton, Amanda
author_sort Waring, Justin
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description Given the difficulties of implementing ‘top-down’ quality improvements, health service leaders have turned to methods that empower clinicians to co-produce ‘bottom-up’ improvements. This has involved the adoption of strategies and activities associated with social movements, with clinicians encouraged to participate in collective action towards the shared goal of improvement. This paper examines the adoption of social movement methods by hospital managers as a strategy for implementing a quality improvement ‘campaign’. Our case study suggests that, despite the claim of empowering clinicians to develop ‘bottom-up’ improvements, the use of social movement methods is narrowly concerned with engaging clinicians in a pre-determined programme of ‘top-down’ change. It finds a prominent role for ‘hybrid’ clinical leaders and other staff representatives in the mobilisation of the campaign, especially for enrolling clinicians in change activities. The work of these ‘hybrids’ suggests some degree of creative mediation between clinical and managerial interests, but more often alignment with the aspirations of management. The study raises questions about the translation of social movements theories as a strategy for managing change and re-inventing professionalism.
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spelling nottingham-406972020-05-04T18:50:56Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/40697/ A ‘movement for improvement’?: a qualitative study of the adoption of social movement strategies in the implementation of a quality improvement campaign Waring, Justin Crompton, Amanda Given the difficulties of implementing ‘top-down’ quality improvements, health service leaders have turned to methods that empower clinicians to co-produce ‘bottom-up’ improvements. This has involved the adoption of strategies and activities associated with social movements, with clinicians encouraged to participate in collective action towards the shared goal of improvement. This paper examines the adoption of social movement methods by hospital managers as a strategy for implementing a quality improvement ‘campaign’. Our case study suggests that, despite the claim of empowering clinicians to develop ‘bottom-up’ improvements, the use of social movement methods is narrowly concerned with engaging clinicians in a pre-determined programme of ‘top-down’ change. It finds a prominent role for ‘hybrid’ clinical leaders and other staff representatives in the mobilisation of the campaign, especially for enrolling clinicians in change activities. The work of these ‘hybrids’ suggests some degree of creative mediation between clinical and managerial interests, but more often alignment with the aspirations of management. The study raises questions about the translation of social movements theories as a strategy for managing change and re-inventing professionalism. Wiley 2017-06-21 Article PeerReviewed Waring, Justin and Crompton, Amanda (2017) A ‘movement for improvement’?: a qualitative study of the adoption of social movement strategies in the implementation of a quality improvement campaign. Sociology of Health and Illness, 39 (7). pp. 1083-1099. ISSN 1467-9566 Health service organisations; National Health Service (NHS); Organisational theory; Professions/professionalisation; Quality of care http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-9566.12560/full doi:10.1111/1467-9566.12560 doi:10.1111/1467-9566.12560
spellingShingle Health service organisations; National Health Service (NHS); Organisational theory; Professions/professionalisation; Quality of care
Waring, Justin
Crompton, Amanda
A ‘movement for improvement’?: a qualitative study of the adoption of social movement strategies in the implementation of a quality improvement campaign
title A ‘movement for improvement’?: a qualitative study of the adoption of social movement strategies in the implementation of a quality improvement campaign
title_full A ‘movement for improvement’?: a qualitative study of the adoption of social movement strategies in the implementation of a quality improvement campaign
title_fullStr A ‘movement for improvement’?: a qualitative study of the adoption of social movement strategies in the implementation of a quality improvement campaign
title_full_unstemmed A ‘movement for improvement’?: a qualitative study of the adoption of social movement strategies in the implementation of a quality improvement campaign
title_short A ‘movement for improvement’?: a qualitative study of the adoption of social movement strategies in the implementation of a quality improvement campaign
title_sort ‘movement for improvement’?: a qualitative study of the adoption of social movement strategies in the implementation of a quality improvement campaign
topic Health service organisations; National Health Service (NHS); Organisational theory; Professions/professionalisation; Quality of care
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/40697/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/40697/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/40697/