TY - JOUR KW - Health Care Delivery KW - joint working KW - organizational sustainability KW - shared leadership AU - C. Klinga AU - J. Hansson AU - H. Hasson AU - M. A. Sachs A1 - AB - INTRODUCTION: Co-leadership has been identified as one approach to meet the managerial challenges of integrated services, but research on the topic is limited. In the present study, co-leadership, practised by pairs of managers - each manager representing one of the two principal organizations in integrated health and social care services - was explored. AIM: To investigate co-leadership in integrated health and social care, identify essential preconditions in fulfilling the management assignment, its operationalization and impact on provision of sustainable integration of health and social care. METHOD: Interviews with eight managers exercising co-leadership were analysed using directed content analysis. Respondent validation was conducted through additional interviews with the same managers. RESULTS: Key contextual preconditions were an organization-wide model supporting co-leadership and co-location of services. Perception of the management role as a collective activity, continuous communication and lack of prestige were essential personal and interpersonal preconditions. In daily practice, office sharing, being able to give and take and support each other contributed to provision of sustainable integration of health and social care. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION: Co-leadership promoted robust management by providing broader competence, continuous learning and joint responsibility for services. Integrated health and social care services should consider employing co-leadership as a managerial solution to achieve sustainability. BT - International journal of integrated care C5 - Education & Workforce CP - 2 CY - England DO - 10.5334/ijic.2236 IS - 2 JF - International journal of integrated care N2 - INTRODUCTION: Co-leadership has been identified as one approach to meet the managerial challenges of integrated services, but research on the topic is limited. In the present study, co-leadership, practised by pairs of managers - each manager representing one of the two principal organizations in integrated health and social care services - was explored. AIM: To investigate co-leadership in integrated health and social care, identify essential preconditions in fulfilling the management assignment, its operationalization and impact on provision of sustainable integration of health and social care. METHOD: Interviews with eight managers exercising co-leadership were analysed using directed content analysis. Respondent validation was conducted through additional interviews with the same managers. RESULTS: Key contextual preconditions were an organization-wide model supporting co-leadership and co-location of services. Perception of the management role as a collective activity, continuous communication and lack of prestige were essential personal and interpersonal preconditions. In daily practice, office sharing, being able to give and take and support each other contributed to provision of sustainable integration of health and social care. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION: Co-leadership promoted robust management by providing broader competence, continuous learning and joint responsibility for services. Integrated health and social care services should consider employing co-leadership as a managerial solution to achieve sustainability. PP - England PY - 2016 SP - 7 T1 - Co-Leadership - A Management Solution for Integrated Health and Social Care T2 - International journal of integrated care TI - Co-Leadership - A Management Solution for Integrated Health and Social Care U1 - Education & Workforce U2 - 27616963 U3 - 10.5334/ijic.2236 VL - 16 Y1 - 2016 ER -