Doctors' functional leadership in psychiatric healthcare teams – a reversible leadership logic. Issue 3 (8th June 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Berlin, Johan M.
• Is Part Of: Team performance management. Volume 21:Issue 3/4(2015)
• Page Start: 159
• Page End: 180
• Publication Date: 2015-06-08
• Subjects: Teams in the workplace -- Periodicals; Employee empowerment -- Periodicals; Management -- Employee participation -- Periodicals; 658.402
• DOI: 10.1108/TPM-12-2014-0061
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1352-7592

Abstract

<abstract> <title> <x content-type="archive" xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec> <title content-type="abstract-heading">Purpose</title> <p> – The purpose of this paper was to study how psychiatric doctors practise leadership in multidisciplinary healthcare teams. The paper seeks to answer the question: How do psychiatric doctors lead multidisciplinary teams during treatment conferences? </p> </sec> <sec> <title content-type="abstract-heading">Design/methodology/approach</title> <p> – Six psychiatric teams were studied at a university hospital. Each team was observed over a period of 18 months, and data were collected during four years (2008-2011). Data were collected through interviews with doctors (<italic>n</italic> = 19) and observations (<italic>n</italic> = 30) of doctors' work in multidisciplinary psychiatric teams. </p> </sec> <sec> <title content-type="abstract-heading">Findings</title> <p> – Doctors in a multidisciplinary team use either self-imposed or involuntary leadership style. Oscillating between these two extremes was a strategy for handling the internal tensions of the team. </p> </sec> <sec> <title content-type="abstract-heading">Research limitations/implications</title> <p> – The study was a case study, performed during treatment conferences at psychiatric wards in a university hospital. This limitation means that there is cause for some caution in generalising the results. </p> </sec> <sec> <title content-type="abstract-heading">Practical implications</title> <p> – The results are useful for understanding leadership in multidisciplinary medical teams. By understanding the reversible logic of leadership, cooperation and knowledge sharing can be gained, which means that a situation of mere peaceful coexistence can be avoided. Understanding the importance of the informal contract makes it possible to switch leadership among team members. A reversible leadership with an informal contract makes the team less vulnerable. The team's professionals can thus easily handle difficult situations and internal tensions, facilitating leadership and management of multidisciplinary teams. </p> </sec> <sec> <title content-type="abstract-heading">Originality/value</title> <p> – Doctors in multidisciplinary psychiatric teams use reversible leadership logic.</p> </sec> </abstract>