Conclusion
The differing outcomes in deutero-learning in these two cases emphasize the importance of the evolution of appropriate organisational structures in developing a leadership-driven learning process and creating an environment in which learning can occur. In this paper, two cases with differing organisational structures in the Australian public health system reform context are compared to explain variations in deutero-learning. In addition, positive deutero-learning is shown to evolve in congruence with the shift in contextual factors that can occur during the development of an allied health subculture. These two cases are not meant to be representative in the sense of being generalisable to the wider population of sites. Rather, they are critical cases that reflect the organising principles and deutero-learning possibilities and limitations of each of the discrete structural models from which they are drawn.
Future trends in allied health indicate that there is continued pressure worldwide for health services to align health care priorities with professional education. Deutero-learning can have an impact on this alignment. Future research will need to consider the implications of variations in deutero-learning and the impact these variations may have upon the evolution of an allied health subculture within the ongoing reforms to the broader health care system. There are clearly implications arising from the two structural models for self-fulfilling prophecies, interpersonal interaction, climate formation and learning pathologies.