The value of management education for hybrid clinician managers

Health care organisations have complex management structures with diverse professional groupings. To facilitate organisational decision making, many hospitals employ managers, also known as hybrid professionals, carrying both clinical and managerial responsibility. (Fitzgerald and Dufour 1998; Fitzgerald and Ferlie 2000; Iedema, Degeling et al. 2003; Lopopolo, Schafer et al. 2004). This paper reports on current research that investigates the value of a specially developed clinical leadership program for a group of clinician/managers working in a teaching hospital in Australia. The findings include perceptions about changes to management skills and knowledge, interpersonal relationships and management decision outcomes as a result of undertaking this program. The conclusion is that, whilst a clinical leadership program is highly valued by participants, it also reinforces distinct professional boundaries that are the grounds for developing specialised clinical leadership programs for doctors. This raises questions about the concept of hybridity itself.