Managers in healthcare organizations and their interactions with the media

Background: The combination of three forces, the organizations' desire for visibility, the citizens' interest in the HSOs and the increasing pressure upon journalists to attract the interest of the audiences have all contributed to the fact that HSO managers nowadays have more interactions with the media than ever before. Aim: The aim of this thesis is to gain a deeper knowledge about HSO managers' interaction with the media; their experience of the interaction, strategies and support. Method: The material of the study A was subject to a qualitative research approach along the lines of grounded theory, whereas content analysis was applied to study B. Results: The results show how the personal consequences as well as the consequences for their managerial practice vary in accordance with the extent to which the manager, the organization and the media attribute individual focus. The amount of support and from where within the organization the support was offered varied. When the managers did receive support from within their organization, it primarily came from co-workers or subordinates. Any strategies for interactions with the media were rarely organization-wide or even put into writing. Instead, they were defined by the managers themselves along the way. Discussion: The managers' interactions with the media may be influenced both on a managerial and organizational level. Neither manager nor organization seem to profit from an individual focus, at least not in the long term. Conclusions: The result indicate the grade of reactions, stand in relation to the level of personification. Also the results suggests that this was influenced by the manager him-or herself, the organization as a whole and by the media. Managers tended to strive for an open and proactive strategy in relation to the media. They did not perceive much support and felt they were expected to handle the interactions with the media all on their own.