Making Projects Critical 15 years on: A retrospective reflection (2001-2016)

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review the formation and evolution of the “Making Projects Critical” movement in project management research.Design/methodology/approachRetrospective and discursive paper.FindingsReflections on tensions and challenges faced by the MPC movement.Originality/valueThe paper establishes the historical trajectory of this movement and clarifies the tensions and challenges faced by MPC

The other side of projects: the case for critical project studies

© 2008, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Purpose – The purpose of this research note is to articulate the limitations that project management (PM) currently faces by outlining the PM literature’s frequent neglect of political, social and ethical dimensions of PM work in order to raise a number of important themes that can be usefully integrated into mainstream PM literature. Design/methodology/approach – Extensive research note which updates us on where PM research is heading. Findings – PM is a highly complex, political and social process. The paper challenges readers, PM academics and practitioners to view PM more critically and to expand their appreciation of PM work as being more complex in its social context that merely delivering instrumentalist and mechanistic functional management processes. Originality/value – This paper triggers a debate using critical PM research to engage with all levels of the project hierarchy with the aim of initiating some transformation in how actors perceive themselves, their voice, their broad responsibility and their influence in shaping their own social place

Refinement of retained austenite in super-bainitic steel by a deep cryogenic treatment

The effect of a deep cryogenic treatment on the microstructure of a super-bainitic steel was investigated. It was shown that quenching the super-bainitc steel in –196°C liquid nitrogen resulted in the transformation of retained austenite to two phases: ~20 nm thick martensite films and some nano carbides with a ~25 nm diameter. Some refinement of the retained austenite occurred, due to formation of fine martensite laths within the retained austenite. The evolution of these new phases resulted in an increase in the average hardness of the super-bainitic steel from 641 to ~670 HV1

Implementing a digital patient feedback system: an analysis using normalisation process theory

Background: Patient feedback in the English NHS is now widespread and digital methods are increasingly used. Adoption of digital methods depends on socio-technical and contextual factors, alongside human agency and lived experience. Moreover, the introduction of these methods may be perceived as disruptive of organisational and clinical routines. The focus of this paper is on the implementation of a particular digital feedback intervention that was co-designed with health professionals and patients (the DEPEND study). Methods: The digital feedback intervention was conceptualised as a complex intervention and thus the study focused on the contexts within which it operated, and how the different participants made sense of the intervention and engaged with it (or not). Four health care sites were studied: An acute setting, a mental health setting, and two general practices. Qualitative data was collected through interviews and focus groups with professionals, patients and carers. In total 51 staff, 24 patients and 8 carers were included. Forty-two observations of the use of the digital feedback system were carried out in the four settings. Data analysis was based on modified grounded theory and Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) formed the conceptual framework. Results: Digital feedback made sense to health care staff as it was seen as attractive, fast to complete and easier to analyse. Patients had a range of views depending on their familiarity with the digital world. Patients mentioned barriers such as kiosk not being visible, privacy, lack of digital know-how, technical hitches with the touchscreen. Collective action in maintaining participation again differed between sites because of workload pressure, perceptions of roles and responsibilities; and in the mental health site major organisational change was taking place. For mental health service users, their relationship with staff and their own health status determined their digital use. Conclusion: The potential of digital feedback was recognised but implementation should take local contexts, different patient groups and organisational leadership into account. Patient involvement in change and adaptation of the intervention was important in enhancing the embedding of digital methods in routine feedback. NPT allowed for a in-depth understanding of actions and interactions of both staff and patients

Managing Modern Healthcare

Managing Modern Healthcare seeks to draw a number of important and grounded lessons about how management networks develop and influence the spread of management knowledge and practice; how management training and development relates to the needs of managers facing challenging conditions; and how those conditions are shaping the nature of healthcare management

The gradual corporatization of the English NHS has created conditions which have precipitated an increasingly commercialized and entrepreneurial healthcare system

Recent healthcare reforms in England, combined with financial austerity, have accelerated both the corporatization and commercialization of the NHS. This combination has encouraged greater public sector entrepreneurialism, argue Damian E. Hodgson, Simon Bailey, Mark Exworthy, Mike Bresnen, John Hassard, and Paula Hyde. They examine the meaning and experience of corporatization in the sector, illustrating their argument with qualitative data from a specialist hospital

More that unites us than divides us? A qualitative study of integration of community health and social care services

From Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2019-09-13, accepted 2020-05-17, registration 2020-05-18, pub-electronic 2020-05-29, online 2020-05-29, collection 2020-12Publication status: PublishedFunder: Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care - Greater Manchester; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100012358; Grant(s): NAAbstract: Background: The integration of community health and social care services has been widely promoted nationally as a vital step to improve patient centred care, reduce costs, reduce admissions to hospital and facilitate timely and effective discharge from hospital. The complexities of integration raise questions about the practical challenges of integrating health and care given embedded professional and organisational boundaries in both sectors. We describe how an English city created a single, integrated care partnership, to integrate community health and social care services. This led to the development of 12 integrated neighbourhood teams, combining and co-locating professionals across three separate localities. The aim of this research is to identify the context and the factors enabling and hindering integration from a qualitative process evaluation. Methods: Twenty-four semi-structured interviews were conducted with equal numbers of health and social care staff at strategic and operational level. The data was subjected to thematic analysis. Results: We describe three key themes: 1) shared vision and leadership; 2) organisational factors; 3) professional workforce factors. We found a clarity of vision and purpose of integration throughout the partnership, but there were challenges related to the introduction of devolved leadership. There were widespread concerns that the specified outcome measures did not capture the complexities of integration. Organisational challenges included a lack of detail around clinical and service delivery planning, tensions around variable human resource practices and barriers to data sharing. A lack of understanding and trust meant professional workforce integration remained a key challenge, although integration was also seen as a potential solution to engender relationship building. Conclusions: Given the long-term national policy focus on integration this ambitious approach to integrate community health and social care has highlighted implications for leadership, organisational design and inter-professional working. Given the ethos of valuing the local assets of individuals and networks within the new partnership we found the integrated neighbourhood teams could all learn from each other. Many of the challenges of integration could benefit from embracing the inherent capabilities across the integrated neighbourhood teams and localities of this city