title: Role-meanings as a critical factor in understanding doctor managers' identity work and different role identities.
abstract: This study examines "identity work" among hybrid doctor-managers (DMs) in the Spanish National Health System to make sense of their managerial roles. In particular, the meanings underlying DMs experience of their hybrid role are investigated using a Grounded Theory methodology, exposing distinctions in role-meanings. Our findings provide evidence that using different social sources of comparison (senior managers or clinicians) to construct the meaning of managerial roles leads to different role-meanings and role identities, which are the source of the two established types of DM in the literature, the reluctant and the enthusiast. The contribution is twofold: our findings lead us to theorize DMs' identity work processes by adding an overlooked role-meaning dimension to identity work; and raise practical reflections for those who wish to develop enthusiast doctor managers.
authors.affiliation: Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Faculty of Economy and Management, Av. de la Universitat, 1, 43204, Reus, Spain. Electronic address: rosalia.cascon@urv.cat.
authors.forename: Rosalía
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cascón-Pereira
authors.affiliation: University of St. Andrews, School of Management, The Gateway, North Haugh, St. Andrews, FIFE, KY16 9RJ, Scotland, UK. Electronic address: sac30@st-andrews.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Shiona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chillas
authors.affiliation: University of Stirling, Stirling Management School, PA: 3A34 University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK. Electronic address: jerry.hallier@googlemail.com.
authors.forename: Jerry
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hallier
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D066296:Grounded Theory; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008486:Physician Executives / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012933:Social Identification; D013030:Spain
keywords: Attitudes to managing; Clinical directors; Identity work; Meanings; Role identity; Spain