Researching the Doctor Manager – Choosing Valid Methodologies

Abstract

In a recent research study of the effects of management training for doctors working in the UK National Health Service, it has become apparent that identifying the transition from doctor to manager does not involve just a change in skills, knowledge and attitudes to the differing roles of doctors and managers. Added validity is given to this change by an acceptance, on the part of the participating doctors, of the different research techniques required of management research, compared with the standard techniques used in the practice of medicine. Positivist versus phenomenological perspectives are compared in relation to the research process itself focusing on the triangulation of methods employed and their differing outcomes. The effectiveness of the various methods are then compared in relation to the research outcomes and the changes observed.

Citation

Mark, A. (1993), "Researching the Doctor Manager – Choosing Valid Methodologies", Journal of Management in Medicine, Vol. 7 No. 4, pp. 52-59. https://doi.org/10.1108/02689239310045198