Good shepherds? The role of professional-managerial ‘hybrids’ in the evolving governance of medical work

Abstract

The governance of professional work increasingly involves the purposeful enrolment of professional members into ‘hybrid’ leadership or management roles. Questions remain as to whether these ‘hybrids’ serve the interest of their profession or management in the organisation of expert work. Drawing upon Michel Foucault’s elaboration of ‘pastoral power’, this paper considers how hybrids shepherd the conduct of their professional colleagues. Informed by analysis of six studies, the paper traces hybrids’ pastoral practices in constituting and governing their professional colleagues’ subjectivities. Our analysis offers new understanding of the relational dynamics of power in the organisation and governance of professions, and further demonstrates the distinct practices of shepherding and governing social conduct.