Modern organizations are characterized by multiple kinds of observations and systems, rather than clear hierarchies. Explores how this polycontexturality plays out in the healthcare arena, this book provides an analysis that takes into account the complexity of healthcare today, showing how contexts that do not fit together can be managed.

1. Health Care Systems Theory and Polycontexturality: An Introduction Part 1: Polycontextural Constructions 2. Drugs in Modern Society: Analysing Polycontextural Things under Condition of Functional Differentiation 3. Polycontexturality and the Body Part 2: Societal Arrangements 4. Two Ways of Dealing with Polycontexturality in Priority Setting in Swedish Healthcare Politics 5. Heterophony and Hyper-Responsibility Part 3: Organizational Arrangements 6. Arranging Medical and Economical Logics: Investigating the Influence of Economic Controlling in Internal Medicine Department 7. Hospital Management in Between Medical Professionalism and Management 8. Sustainability in Integrated Care Partnerships: A Systems and Network Theoretical Approach for the Analysis of Co-Operation Networks Part 4: Reflections 9. The Multiplication and Realization of Speakers as Polyphony 10. The Polycontextural Realities of Research Ethics in Medicine 11. Personal Leadership in Polyphonic Organizations

Morten Knudsen has been working with systems theory and healthcare organizations for more than 15 years. He has studied decision-making, the organization of patient participation, standardization and leadership development programmes within healthcare organizations. He currently holds the position of associate professor in organizational analysis, Department of Organization, Copenhagen Business School.

Werner Vogd is a professor in sociology. His research fields are sociological theory, sociology of organizations, medical sociology, sociology of religion and sociology of knowledge at the Fakultät für Kulturreflexion, University Witten/Herdecke.