"It's a bit naïve to believe that being a doctor is a medical profession" Exploring medical doctors' responses to competing institutional logics

Abstract: In this thesis, clinical doctor's experiences and responses to competing logics are studied. This is done in order to build an understanding of the implications NPM has from a bottom-up perspective. Eleven doctors participate in this qualitative study. To comprehend how doctors respond to competing logics, theory covering institutional logics and individual responses to competing logics is applied. The findings indicate that doctors strongly adhere to their profession logic but that the identification with other logics relating to NPM varies. Depending on the identifications doctors have with competing logics, they respond differently. This thesis increases the understanding of how doctors perceive the current management policies, and responds to it, which has implications for how to structure management systems in complex organizations.