title: Ignorance is not bliss. Doctors, managers and development.
abstract: Current government policy places great emphasis on increased collaboration between disciplines and professions within health care, as in public services across the board. To date, analyses of doctor-manager relations have tended to focus on equipping doctors with management skills, once they have reached consultant level. In contrast, this paper evaluates a new management development initiative, designed to involve doctors and managers at an earlier career stage, and on an inter-disciplinary basis. Interview and questionnaire responses indicate that specialist registrars and young managers share common values; however, they also acknowledge a high degree of mutual ignorance. Evaluation suggests that inter-disciplinary programmes can provide a starting-point for closer collaboration in practice; in conclusion, some options for sustaining this in the long term are identified.
authors.affiliation: Institute of General Practice and Primary Care, University of Sheffield, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Owen
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Phillips
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003144:Communication Barriers; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006740:Hospital Administrators / Q000523:psychology*; D018578:Hospital-Physician Relations; D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D013192:Staff Development; D013222:State Medicine; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom