Confrontations in health service management: insights from drama theory

This paper illustrates the contribution that drama theory can make to the analysis and handling of collaboration and conflict in the arena of health management. ‘Joined up working' is a contemporary imperative in the public sector, yet differences in positions between partner organisations can imperil a successful outcome. Confrontation analysis, a specific technique based on drama theory, enables the modelling of such situations and the exploration of ways of addressing the dilemmas that can stand in the way of a resolution of the conflicts of partnership working. A number of vignettes based on analyses conducted by participants in health service organisations are included to illustrate the approach.