ABSTRACT
Effective management has to be rooted in a deep understanding of the organization being managed, especially in a complex organism such as a medical practice. General practice needs to aim at recognizing that systems and institutions are like people in that they function best with steady, not just intermittent, care. Any decision-making body within a practice, be it a clinical guideline group, a quality improvement group, or a building project group, must involve doctors in an active and informed way. Clinical general practice has individual traits and characteristics that need to be borne in mind when comparing it with commercial or business organizations. In general practice, the chief executive equivalent is the group of partners. If the management tasks are being carried out by a non-clinician, especially a practice manager, then such a manager should not, and usually cannot, control the activities of the professionals at the operating core of the organization.
