From events to personal histories: narrating change in health-care organizations. Issue 6 (2nd June 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Morrell, Kevin; Hewison, Alistair; Heracleous, Loizos
• Is Part Of: Public management review. Volume 22:Issue 6(2020)
• Page Start: 908
• Page End: 926
• Publication Date: 2020-06-02
• Subjects: Narratives -- managers -- national health service -- organization change; Local government -- Periodicals; Public administration -- Periodicals; 351.05
• DOI: 10.1080/14719037.2019.1619814
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1471-9037

Abstract

ABSTRACT: To cope with large-scale change managers must understand complex events, but representations of change are never objective and factual, they reflect choices. They are not simply chronicles but personal histories. We apply this perspective to analyze change in public sector health-care organizations. Health-care is an illuminating context because it is affected by large-scale policy-driven reform. There is a clear macro-context against which to map personal histories, which although diverse in terms of content, have common narrative templates which give them with structure. This helps managers understand a chaotic and complex flow of events; enabling them to cope with change.