What doctors and managers can learn from each other

doi:10.1136/bmj.326.7390.610

BMJ 2003;326:610-611 ( 22 March )

Editorials

What doctors and managers can learn from each other

A lot

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Doctors and managers have different cultures, which opens up possibilities not only of fruitless fighting but also of richlearning. I've belonged to both cultures. In 1989 I went to theStanford Business School in California with a typical doctor'sview of management: boring, uncreative, and best left to thoseincapable of doing anything better. I came back thinking the opposite.To be able to mix together ideas, people, and resources to makesthings happen is creative, difficult, and a privilege. Generally,there is even more uncertainty in management than medicine. Havingnow inhabited both cultures it's clear that they have much tolearn from each other $---$ and where better to do that than withinhealthcare systems, where they work alongside eachother?

Not everything is different between the two cultures. Both professions are full of highly committed people who work extremelyhard $---$ often to the point of damaging themselves and . . . [Full text of this article]

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Rapid Responses:

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MANAGERS OR PATIENT CARERS: ROBERT MANSEL
bmj.com, 22 Mar 2003 [Full text]
High quality information for managers: National electronic Library for Health Management: Lynette A Cawthra
bmj.com, 1 Apr 2003 [Full text]
WHAT DOCTORS CAN LEARN FROM MANAGERS: David E Allen
bmj.com, 23 Feb 2004 [Full text]
Re: WHAT DOCTORS CAN LEARN FROM MANAGERS: Michael L Cox
bmj.com, 3 Mar 2004 [Full text]
Re: Re: WHAT DOCTORS CAN LEARN FROM MANAGERS: David E Allen
bmj.com, 10 Mar 2004 [Full text]