Co-Leadership - A Management Solution for Integrated Health and Social Care.
BACKGROUND
Co-leadership has been identified as one approach to meet the managerial challenges of integrated services, but research on the topic is limited. In the present study, co-leadership, practised by pairs of managers - each manager representing one of the two principal organizations in integrated health and social care services - was explored.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate co-leadership in integrated health and social care, identify essential preconditions in fulfilling the management assignment, its operationalization and impact on provision of sustainable integration of health and social care.


METHODS
Interviews with eight managers exercising co-leadership were analysed using directed content analysis. Respondent validation was conducted through additional interviews with the same managers.


RESULTS
Key contextual preconditions were an organization-wide model supporting co-leadership and co-location of services. Perception of the management role as a collective activity, continuous communication and lack of prestige were essential personal and interpersonal preconditions. In daily practice, office sharing, being able to give and take and support each other contributed to provision of sustainable integration of health and social care.


CONCLUSIONS
Co-leadership promoted robust management by providing broader competence, continuous learning and joint responsibility for services. Integrated health and social care services should consider employing co-leadership as a managerial solution to achieve sustainability.
Medical Management Centre (MMC), Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, Karolinska Institutet, SE; Department of Social Work, Karolinska University Hospital, SE.
Charlotte
C
Klinga
Medical Management Centre (MMC), Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, Karolinska Institutet, SE.
Johan
J
Hansson
Medical Management Centre (MMC), Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, Karolinska Institutet, SE; Centre for Epidemiology and Community Medicine, Stockholm County Council, SE.
Henna
H
Hasson
Medical Management Centre (MMC), Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, Karolinska Institutet, SE.
Magna Andreen
MA
Sachs
health care delivery; joint working; organizational sustainability; shared leadership