ABSTRACT
Background A systems premise regarding sustainability is that no single organization can be sustainable if those interdependent with it are not sustainable. Even modest achievements in sustainability cannot be realized without organizations working in concert with others in their system (see also Chapters 7 and 12 in this volume). This is the key point of departure for this chapter, which presents and analyzes an ongoing collaborative research project that embraces all the key actors in the healthcare system in the Lidköping area in the Västra Götaland region in Sweden. The main actors in the project are the primary care clinics, Lidköping Hospital, and the after-care departments in several local municipalities, together with a cross-disciplinary research team drawn from different universities (Ekman et al. 2007). The project reported here as a longitudinal case study was managed by a steering committee, with top management representation from each healthcare provider, union representatives, and working group representation from all levels.
