CONCLUSION
The aim of this study is to analyse the logic and the accountability which characterise
clinical managers’ perceived use of accounting information in managing
hospital departments. Our respondents manage according to different forms of
logic and accountability along a triangle between the instrumental/enterprise
logic, professional logic and a more communicative/political logic. Based on
our empirical findings we conclude that this triangle may change and form
different patterns according to different contexts and differences in professional
background. Our study is based on the respondents’ perception of their roles as
managers.
An important generalisation which can be derived from this study is that
the relationship between types of logic which guide managerial practices can
be defined in terms of managers’ use of accounting information in clinical
departments and that the accountability of middle managers is multifaceted.
However, this generalisation is tentative due to the nature of the case study
research. Our study is based on the respondents’ perceptions of their roles as
managers. This research design brings in some bias to the findings, as these
are not manifest actions. Furthermore, our cases represent only a minor part
of the Norwegian hospital population, and the national context also affects the
respondents’ reflections during interviews. In future studies our findings can
be generalised by using comparative analyses of other national settings and by
using different analytical frameworks.