Managing Change in the NHS: The Resource Management Initiative

Examines some of the implementation issues accompanying the introduction of a major change programme in the UK National Health Service. The data for the case were collected from more than 200 semi‐structured interviews in one NHS region. The change programme itself, called the Resource Management Initiative (RMI) involved various forms of organizational change, – structural, technological and cultural – making it an ideal subject for analysis. Examines each major issue and gives brief consideration of the more general learning points to emerge from the research. Proposes some general heuristics for effecting large‐scale change in complex organizations.