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Leaderless Management as the Solution to Struggles Over the Moral Center of Healthcare? : Ward Nurses’ Critique of Management as “Real Utopias” in the Public Sector

Selberg, Rebecca LU and Mulinari, Paula (2023) p.77-95
Abstract
Through a historization of the Swedish public sector together with vignettes grounded in interviews, this paper questions managerialism in the public sector. The chapter argues for leaderless management as a shift of attention from managerialism toward worker control. The chapter explores what nurses identify as central areas of conflict shaping their work, and what forms of change they view as necessary to create a more sustainable work situation, for themselves and the patients. Workers—not managers—within the public sector are key knowledge bearers in confronting the crisis of care. Inspired by Nancy Fraser’s idea of a care crisis, as well as Erik Olin Wright’s discussion on real utopia, the chapter analyzes how public sector workers... (More)
Through a historization of the Swedish public sector together with vignettes grounded in interviews, this paper questions managerialism in the public sector. The chapter argues for leaderless management as a shift of attention from managerialism toward worker control. The chapter explores what nurses identify as central areas of conflict shaping their work, and what forms of change they view as necessary to create a more sustainable work situation, for themselves and the patients. Workers—not managers—within the public sector are key knowledge bearers in confronting the crisis of care. Inspired by Nancy Fraser’s idea of a care crisis, as well as Erik Olin Wright’s discussion on real utopia, the chapter analyzes how public sector workers frame their work-life. We use this to frame a vision of leaderless management. Specifically, we draw out three arguments for leaderless management of (1) time, (2) caring, and (3) resources. (Less)
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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
host publication
Debating Leaderless Management : Can Employees Do Without Leaders? - Can Employees Do Without Leaders?
editor
Hertel, Fredrik ; Örtenblad, Anders and Mjølberg Jørgensen, Kenneth
pages
29 pages
publisher
Palgrave Macmillan
ISBN
978-3-031-04593-6
978-3-031-04592-9
DOI
10.1007/978-3-031-04593-6_5
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
34d58eb5-210e-49a7-907e-d941bec3a4c0
date added to LUP
2023-01-12 11:03:53
date last changed
2023-05-05 13:14:25
@inbook{34d58eb5-210e-49a7-907e-d941bec3a4c0,
  abstract     = {{Through a historization of the Swedish public sector together with vignettes grounded in interviews, this paper questions managerialism in the public sector. The chapter argues for leaderless management as a shift of attention from managerialism toward worker control. The chapter explores what nurses identify as central areas of conflict shaping their work, and what forms of change they view as necessary to create a more sustainable work situation, for themselves and the patients. Workers—not managers—within the public sector are key knowledge bearers in confronting the crisis of care. Inspired by Nancy Fraser’s idea of a care crisis, as well as Erik Olin Wright’s discussion on real utopia, the chapter analyzes how public sector workers frame their work-life. We use this to frame a vision of leaderless management. Specifically, we draw out three arguments for leaderless management of (1) time, (2) caring, and (3) resources.}},
  author       = {{Selberg, Rebecca and Mulinari, Paula}},
  booktitle    = {{Debating Leaderless Management : Can Employees Do Without Leaders?}},
  editor       = {{Hertel, Fredrik and Örtenblad, Anders and Mjølberg Jørgensen, Kenneth}},
  isbn         = {{978-3-031-04593-6}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  pages        = {{77--95}},
  publisher    = {{Palgrave Macmillan}},
  title        = {{Leaderless Management as the Solution to Struggles Over the Moral Center of Healthcare? : Ward Nurses’ Critique of Management as “Real Utopias” in the Public Sector}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04593-6_5}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/978-3-031-04593-6_5}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}