[Management practice and conception and family health strategy managers]

This paper analyzes municipal management through managerial and manager practices in family health program offices in municipal health ministries and basic health clinics. Theoretically management and social relationship technologies are considered tools for the work carried out in the health care field, and they are also valuable instruments for change the micro-policy of the real work done in the health care domain. The methodological approach is qualitative and the research techniques used were the systematized direct observation as well as semi-structured interviews. The research subjects were the municipal health ministry managers, family health program coordinators and directors from four cities in the state of Maranhão. The results have shown that management is based on a traditional managerial style, characterized by a hard bureaucratic core. However, there is a trend for change because in practice, there are already signs which indicate the establishment of accountability and more caring relationships with respect to users and their families.