Knowledge exchange in the UK CLAHRCs: The enabling role of academics and clinicians’ social position
Journal of Health Organization and Management
ISSN: 1477-7266
Article publication date: 16 March 2018
Issue publication date: 6 April 2018
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how knowledge exchange between academics and clinicians in Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRCs) is influenced by their social position based on their symbolic and social capitals, that is, their personal professional status and connections to high-status professional peers, knowledge brokers, and unfamiliar professional peers.
Design/methodology/approach
Using an online survey, the author triangulates the cross-sectional measurement of the effects of academic and clinicians’ social position in the initial and later phases of CLAHRCs with the longitudinal measurement of these effects over a two-year period.
Findings
First, academics and clinicians with a higher personal professional status are more likely to develop joint networks and decision making both in the early and later phases of a CLAHRC. Second, academics and clinicians who are more connected to higher status occupational peers are more likely to develop joint networks in the early phase of a knowledge exchange partnership but are less likely to become engaged in joint networks over time. Third, involvement of knowledge brokers in the networks of academics and clinicians is likely to facilitate their inter-professional networking only in the later partnership phase.
Practical implications
Academics and clinicians’ capitals have a distinctive influence on knowledge exchange in the early and later phases of CLAHRCs and on a change in knowledge exchange over a two-year period.
Originality/value
Prior research on CLAHRCs has examined how knowledge exchange between academics and clinicians can be encouraged by the creation of shared governance mechanisms. The author advances this research by highlighting the role of their social position in facilitating knowledge exchange.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Service Delivery Organization, National Institute of Health Research (Grant No. 09/1809/1073). This paper presents independent research and the views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health.
Citation
Racko, G. (2018), "Knowledge exchange in the UK CLAHRCs: The enabling role of academics and clinicians’ social position", Journal of Health Organization and Management, Vol. 32 No. 2, pp. 246-262. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHOM-08-2017-0192
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited