Lower-status experts' influence on health-care managers' decision-making

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Organizational Behavior
• Expertise Studies

Background:

• Effective collaboration between line managers and experts is crucial in public healthcare organizations.
• Understanding the dynamics of interaction between different hierarchical levels and expertise types is essential for performance improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and theoretically explain the collaborative dynamics between line managers and lower-status experts in public healthcare.
• To explore how lower-status experts influence line managers' decision-making and task prioritization.
• To guide improvements in staff expert cooperation and performance.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative research methodology employed for data collection and analysis.
• Analysis of experts' and line managers' explanations regarding their cooperation.
• Theoretical approach using experts' identity positioning, focusing on differences and similarities in interaction.

Main Results:

• Similarities and differences in positioning acts coexist simultaneously.
• Similarity is achieved through strategic and professional alignment with line managers' core tasks.
• Differences arise from knowledge-based skills versus professional attributes (language, jargon).
• Lower-status experts must adapt their knowledge aspirations and presentation to match line managers' professional status for respected identity positioning.

Conclusions:

• This study reveals the simultaneous existence of similarities and differences in positioning acts, challenging previous research.
• Lower-status experts need to strategically align and adapt their professional identity to effectively collaborate with and influence line managers in healthcare settings.