TY - JOUR

T1 - Boundary organising in healthcare: theoretical perspectives, empirical insights and future prospects

AU - Kislov, Roman

AU - Harvey, Gill

AU - Jones, Lorelei

PY - 2021/4/27

Y1 - 2021/4/27

N2 - Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce a special issue on boundary organising in healthcare bringing together a selection of six leading papers accepted for presentation at the 12th OrganisationalBehaviour in Health Care (OBHC 2020) Conference.Design/methodology/approach – In this introductory paper, the guest editors position the special issue papers in relation to the theoretical literature on boundaries and boundary organising and highlight how these contributions advance our understanding of boundary phenomena in healthcare.Findings – Three strands of thinking – practice-based, systems theory and place-based approaches – are briefly described, followed by an analytical summary of the six papers included in the special issue. The papersillustrate how the dynamic processes of boundary organising, stemming from the dual nature of boundariesand boundary objects, can be constrained and enabled by the complexity of broader multi-layered boundarylandscapes, in which local clinical and managerial practices are embedded.Originality/value – The authors set the scene for the papers included in the special issue, summarise theircontributions and implications, and suggest directions for future research.Research implications/limitations – The authors call for interdisciplinary and multi-theoreticalinvestigations of boundary phenomena in health organisation and management, with a particular attentionto (1) the interplay between multiple types of boundaries, actors and objects operating in complex multi-layeredboundary systems; (2) diversity of the backgrounds, experiences and preferences of patients and services usersand (3) the role of artificial intelligence and other non-human actors in boundary organising.Practical implications – Developing strategies of reflection, mitigation, justification and relational work iscrucial for the success of boundary organising initiatives.Keywords Boundaries, Boundary organising, Boundary management, Boundary reconfiguration, Boundaryobjects, Boundary spanning, Healthcare, Practice-based theorising, Systems theory, Place-based approaches

AB - Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce a special issue on boundary organising in healthcare bringing together a selection of six leading papers accepted for presentation at the 12th OrganisationalBehaviour in Health Care (OBHC 2020) Conference.Design/methodology/approach – In this introductory paper, the guest editors position the special issue papers in relation to the theoretical literature on boundaries and boundary organising and highlight how these contributions advance our understanding of boundary phenomena in healthcare.Findings – Three strands of thinking – practice-based, systems theory and place-based approaches – are briefly described, followed by an analytical summary of the six papers included in the special issue. The papersillustrate how the dynamic processes of boundary organising, stemming from the dual nature of boundariesand boundary objects, can be constrained and enabled by the complexity of broader multi-layered boundarylandscapes, in which local clinical and managerial practices are embedded.Originality/value – The authors set the scene for the papers included in the special issue, summarise theircontributions and implications, and suggest directions for future research.Research implications/limitations – The authors call for interdisciplinary and multi-theoreticalinvestigations of boundary phenomena in health organisation and management, with a particular attentionto (1) the interplay between multiple types of boundaries, actors and objects operating in complex multi-layeredboundary systems; (2) diversity of the backgrounds, experiences and preferences of patients and services usersand (3) the role of artificial intelligence and other non-human actors in boundary organising.Practical implications – Developing strategies of reflection, mitigation, justification and relational work iscrucial for the success of boundary organising initiatives.Keywords Boundaries, Boundary organising, Boundary management, Boundary reconfiguration, Boundaryobjects, Boundary spanning, Healthcare, Practice-based theorising, Systems theory, Place-based approaches

KW - Boundaries

KW - Boundary organising

KW - Boundary management

KW - Boundary reconfiguration

KW - Boundary objects

KW - Boundary spanning

KW - Healthcare

KW - Practice-based theorising

KW - Systems theory

KW - Place-based approaches

U2 - 10.1108/JHOM-04-2021-475

DO - 10.1108/JHOM-04-2021-475

M3 - Article

VL - 35

SP - 133

EP - 140

JO - Journal of Health Organization and Management

JF - Journal of Health Organization and Management

SN - 1477-7266

IS - 2

ER -