Making Wicked Problems Governable? : The Case of Managed Networks in Health Care

The book analyses the developments of inter-organizational networks in the UK National Health Service during the New Labour period, combining empirical case studies from various policy arenas (clinical genetics, cancer networks, sexual health networks, and long term care) with a theoretically informed analysis.

Ewan Ferlie AcSS FRSA is currently Professor of Public Services Management at Kings College London and previously Head of Department. He has written and published widely on organizational change and restructuring in public services organizations, including health care and also higher education. He is co editor of the Oxford Handbook of Public Management published by Oxford University Press. He has been a non executive member of Warwickshire Health Authority and is currently Hon chair of the Society of the Study of Organising in Health Care.


Louise Fitzgerald is Visiting Professor (Organizational Change) at the Said Business School. Her previous career spans HR management posts in the private sector and academic posts at Salford and Warwick, where she worked in an innovative role as a consultant to the Health Service and a Senior Lecturer. She then moved to take up a Chair at City University, where she was Director of Research in St. Bartholomew's School of Nursing and Midwifery. Most recently, she has held a Chair in Organization Development at De Montfort University and been a Visiting Professor at Manchester Business School. Until recently she was Academic Lead in the Greater Manchester Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC).

Gerry McGivern is an Associate Professor of Organizational Behaviour in the International Centre for Governance and Public Management at Warwick Business School. His research focuses on professionals: understanding the nature of their knowledge and practice, identities, and how they are affected by systems of regulation and organization within public services. Gerry has previously worked for Price Waterhouse, Ovum PLC, in HR consultancy, and at Royal Holloway, University of London, and King's College London. He holds a PhD in organizational behaviour from Imperial College Business School.

Sue Dopson is Rhodes Trust Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Faculty Dean at Said Business School. She is also Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford, and Visiting Professor at the University of Alberta, Canada. She is a noted specialist on the personal and organisational dimensions of leadership and transformational change, especially in the public and healthcare sectors. Sue formerly worked as personnel manager in the NHS before pursuing a research and academic career, co-writing and editing many major works on the topic of transformational change in the public and healthcare sectors. Sue's research involvements lie principally in the area of innovation, change and healthcare studies and she has led a number of research projects in the health service sector.

Chris Bennett is an independent research psychologist.