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Knowledge management and communities of practice in the private sector: lessons for modernising the National Health Service in England and Wales

Bate, SP; Robert, G; (2002) Knowledge management and communities of practice in the private sector: lessons for modernising the National Health Service in England and Wales. Public Administration , 80 (4) pp. 643-663. 10.1111/1467-9299.00322. Green open access

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Abstract

The National Health Service (NHS) in England and Wales has embarked upon a radical and farreaching programme of change and reform. However, to date the results of organizational quality and service improvement initiatives in the public sector have been mixed, if not to say disappointing, with anticipated gains often failing to materialize or to be sustained in the longer term. This paper draws on the authors' recent extensive research into one of the principal methodologies for bringing about the sought after step change in the quality of health care in England and Wales. It explores how private sector knowledge management (KM) concepts and practices might contribute to the further development of public sector quality improvement initiatives in general and to the reform of the NHS in particular. Our analysis suggests there have been a number of problems and challenges in practice, not least a considerable naïvety around the issue of knowledge transfer and 'knowledge into practice' within health care organizations. We suggest four broad areas for possible development which also have important implications for other public sector organizations.

Type: Article
Title: Knowledge management and communities of practice in the private sector: lessons for modernising the National Health Service in England and Wales
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1111/1467-9299.00322
Additional information: Imported via OAI, 7:29:01 5th Oct 2005; Imported via OAI, 7:29:01 9th Mar 2006; Imported via OAI, 7:29:01 9th Mar 2006
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Health Informatics
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Health Informatics > CHIME
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1125
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