ABSTRACT
So far in this book, we have identified the major challenges and problems facing healthcare and we have summarized the kinds of solutions and programmes which have been tried and proposed by policy-makers. This chapter now lays the base for the theoretical interpretations that follow. The chapter explains the interplay between three main areas of theory: innovation theory, institutional theory and leadership theory. Each of these, separately and together, has interesting things to say about how meeting the challenge of innovation in healthcare might be accomplished. The chapter draws out the connections between these three domains which are normally considered separately. For example, we highlight and illustrate how innovation attempts are shaped by institutional contexts and how each, in turn, influences and is influenced by leadership work. The interconnections are shown in Figure 3.1.
