Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Making history critical.

Mark Learmonth¹

¹Durham University Business School, Durham University , Durham, UK.

Journal of Health Organization and Management

|September 22, 2017

Summary

The National Health Service (NHS) has evolved through distinct eras of administration, management, and leadership, shaped by evolving language and representational practices rather than inherent qualities. This study offers a discursive history of NHS management.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Who doesn't want to be a leader? Leaders are such wonderful people: Comment on "Leadership and leadership development in healthcare settings - a simplistic solution to complex problems?".

International journal of health policy and management·2015

Same author

A trifle of management.

Journal of health services research & policy·2011

Same author

A critical account of the rise and spread of 'leadership': the case of U.K. healthcare.

Social science & medicine (1982)·2011

Same author

Some unintended effects of teamwork in healthcare.

Social science & medicine (1982)·2010

Same author

Ordinary and effective: the Catch-22 in managing the public voice in health care?

Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy·2009

Same author

Tales of the unexpected? Stirring things up in health care management.

Journal of health organization and management·2005

Area of Science:

Health Services Management
Organizational History
Discourse Analysis

Background:

Traditional historical approaches to National Health Service (NHS) management often overlook the role of language.
The concept of 'management' within the NHS has been subject to evolving interpretations and practices.
Understanding the discursive construction of management is crucial for a comprehensive history of the NHS.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the discursive history of National Health Service (NHS) "management".
To offer a counterpoint to traditional historical analyses of NHS management.
To examine how representational practices shape the understanding and reality of NHS leadership.

Main Methods:

Document analysis of relevant historical sources.
Interviews with chief executives from UK NHS trusts.
Discursive historical analysis focusing on language and representation.

Main Results:

The NHS has transitioned through identifiable eras: administration, management, and leadership.
These transitions are linked to shifts in discursive practices and representational conventions.
Current 'leaders' derive their status from conventional representational practices, not inherent traits.

Conclusions:

A discursive history recasts the narrative of NHS evolution, highlighting supported and denied interests.
The study emphasizes the power of language in constructing managerial and leadership identities.
Rethinking NHS management requires understanding the performative nature of its discourse.

Keywords:

Control History Language Leader-manager-administrator Performativity Power

Related Experiment Videos