This master project is based on the Danish public health care system with special focus on the hospital service in the North Denmark region where particular attention is given to a modernization of the present and future management structure in connection with the establishment and building of a new university hospital. In relation to this, the American management model, Leadership Pipeline, which is developed for private organizations has attracted much interest.
Consequently, the purpose of this project is to examine whether Leadership Pipeline can be used as a management model for clinical management within the public hospital service in the North Denmark region.
The method used in this project is based on selected literature on actual management and organizational theories, including an introduction to the management concept behind Leadership Pipeline and an empirical and qualitative examination encompassing five focus group interviews of staff and managers at different management levels in the hospital service in the North Denmark region.
The empirical material is based on a phenomenological and hermeneutic framework and is subsequently processed, defined and classified into four categories which create the basis for an analysis and discussion in relation to the problem set out in the project and the selected theory.
The findings in this project seem to suggest that Leadership Pipeline as a general management model will be applicable for clinical management in the public hospital service in the North Denmark region. Further, the findings indicate that the applicability of the model will be contingent on developing and adjusting the management competences described in order to capture and balance the specific and complex management practice being the working conditions for the managers in the public sector, i.e. to navigate within the different management levels in the public hospital service.