First-level Managers Research Articles

The cost of protecting resources: a cross-sectional study on the interaction between LMX and role ambiguity on work addiction and burnout among Canadian first-level healthcare managers.

Using the conservation of resources (COR) theory, our study explores the interaction between role ambiguity and leader-member exchange (LMX) quality on burnout using work addiction as a mediator among Canadian first-level healthcare managers. Cross-sectional data was collected among 165 first-level managers working in healthcare with the support of interprofessional associations in Canada. Linear regression was used to test the presented hypotheses. Work addiction fully mediated the positive relationship between role ambiguity and burnout among first-level managers. In addition, high LMX exacerbated both the direct and indirect effects of role ambiguity. Our study contributes by identifying role ambiguity as a context under which LMX can have adverse effects for first-level managers in healthcare. Moreover, work addiction acted as a mediator, theorized as a risky resource investment which depletes managers' resources. Having a good relationship with their team further entices managers to develop a pathological relationship with their work to protect its members, which in turn is related to higher levels of burnout.

Impact of Structural Employee Empowerment on Hospital Ratings: Mediating Role of Social Climate and First-Line Managers' Resilience.

The purpose of this article is to investigate the relationship between the structural empowerment of first-line health managers and health facility performance, examining the mediating roles of resilience and social climate in shaping the ratings of Slovak hospitals. Additionally, we aim to investigate the deeper mechanisms of this relationship, particularly the impact of resilience and the social climate, which can positively influence it. The data collection was conducted through a questionnaire survey in February 2022. Respondents included 540 healthcare managers at the first level of management from 44 Slovak hospitals, all of which were part of the evaluation by the Institute for Economic and Social Reforms (INEKO). The analysis involved the use of the PLS-SEM method to examine the relationships between variables and assess direct and indirect effects, utilizing SmartPLS 3.3 software. The findings reveal a positive association between the structural empowerment of first-level managers and the ranking of health facilities. The hypotheses regarding the mediation of both variables - First-Level Managers' (FLMs) resilience and social climate - are supported, whether considered separately or jointly. In the case of joint mediation, a significant portion of the indirect effect is conveyed through FLMs' resilience, suggesting a potential avenue of support from hospital management to enhance health facility ratings. Structural empowerment of first-line managers establishes the conditions for improving the ratings of health facilities. The total effect is significantly more pronounced in promoting their resilience and fostering a supportive social climate.

Leading well and staying psychologically healthy: the role of resources and constraints for managers in the healthcare sector

PurposeMaintaining a healthy and productive workforce is a challenge for most organizations. This is even truer for health organization, facing staff shortages and work overload. The aim of this study is to identify the resources and constraints that influence managers' mental health and better understand how they are affected by them.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative approach was chosen to document the resources, the constraints as well as their consequences on managers in their day-to-day realities. The sample included executive-, intermediate- and first-level managers from a Canadian healthcare facility. A total of 62 semi-structured interviews were conducted. The coding process was based on the IGLOO model of Nielsen et al. (2018) to which an employee-related level was added (IGELOO).FindingsResults highlight the importance of considering both resources as well as constraints in examining managers' mental health. Overarching context, organizational constraints and the management of difficult employees played important roles in the stress experienced by managers.Practical implicationsThe results offer a better understanding of the importance of intervening at different levels to promote better organizational health. Results also highlight the importance of setting up organizational resources and act on the various constraints to reduce them. Different individual strategies used by managers to deal with the various constraints and maintain their mental health also emerge from those results.Originality/valueIn addition to addressing the reality of healthcare managers, this study supplements a theoretical model and suggests avenues for interventions promoting more sustainable organizational health.

Being Rather Than Becoming Managers: Dilemmas Facing Event First Level Managers

Significant research into the development of managers and leaders primarily focuses on the development of middle to senior managers. This could explain why there is little research into the development of first level managers (FLMs), and in the events industry, there is no evidence of research into UK event first level managers (EFLMs). This research aims to broaden understanding around what training UK EFLMs receive and the type of managerial styles and competencies training they undertake when commencing their managerial careers. The findings suggest that EFLMs get no or very little formal management development. Despite this lack of training, EFLMs are already enacting preformed approaches, not necessarily the most appropriate, when managing event teams and these managerial styles are based mostly around previous workplace experiences. These findings assist EFLMs and those involved in event HR managerial and leadership training to capitalize on EFLMs being, rather than becoming, event managers.

АДМІНІСТРАТИВНИЙ СТАТУС КЕРІВНИКА ПІДПРИЄМСТВА ЯК ПОСАДОВОЇ ОСОБИ

This article describes the administrative status of the head of the enterprise as an official. It is determined that an official is an employee of state bodies, enterprises, institutions, organizations of various forms of ownership, whose activity, for the purpose of implementing management functions, has a power-administrative nature and is aimed at organizing and ensuring the efficiency of the work of other persons. Whereas managers are a type of officials who are empowered with administrative authority in relation to a certain formally-organized team headed by them, who carry out internal organizational management of it. Unlike other officials, the head of the enterprise is a line manager. The specificity of the position of the head of the enterprise as part of the management apparatus allows to determine the economic and information levers of management. in a broad sense, it is appropriate to refer to the administration as the management apparatus of the enterprise: the highest level - the head of the enterprise, his deputies, heads of structural subdivisions of the centralized management apparatus; secondary - managers of structural divisions of the enterprise (productions, workshops); lower - shift chiefs, foremen, foremen. All of them, by the nature of their powers, are officials who have the right to make and organize the implementation of decisions binding on other employees of the enterprise. In a narrow sense, the administration of the enterprise consists of first-level managers who perform only managerial functions, while second- and third-level managers also perform production and economic functions. It is emphasized that the specificity of the position of the head of the enterprise as a type of official is seen in the fact that he carries out power and administrative activities within the enterprise and, in accordance with the above-mentioned social roles performed by the main organizational link of the industrial and economic sphere, acts simultaneously in three guises: as a representative of a legal entity, representative of a collective of employees, head of administration. This testifies to the complexity of his activity, it makes it possible to consider that the head of the enterprise operates in three different "planes", which, although interconnected, have significant differences.

Postfeminism as Coping Strategy: Understandings of Gender and Intragroup Conflict among Swedish Welfare Workers

ABSTRACT This paper explores how workers in the women-dominated public sector in Sweden speak about and make sense of gender and intragroup conflict and the consequences of this way of thinking and acting for gender equality at work. Using qualitative interviews with 26 first-level managers and employees, we introduce an analytical framework that employs critical discourse psychology and the conceptualization of a postfeminist sensibility at work. We identified three competing meanings (postfeminist storylines) of gender and intragroup conflict: Supporting the gendered meanings of conflict, Unawareness of conflict’s gendered meanings and Counteracting the gendered meanings of conflict. The welfare workers acknowledged the role of gender in intragroup conflicts but, paradoxically, constructed their own workplaces as gender neutral, without inequalities related to gender. We interpret these three postfeminist storylines as coping strategies; that is, as ways to make sense of the false promise of gender egalitarianism that characterizes the Swedish labour market.

Perceived Organizational Support and Work Engagement of First-Line Managers in Healthcare - The Mediation Role of Feedback Seeking Behavior.

BackgroundFirst-line managers play a significant role in the management system of a health-care organization because they provide support and bridge for both senior management and their subordinates. Their work engagement becomes the foundation of facility functioning, encompassing both meeting organizational goals and the patient-centered care approach, but also meeting the expectations and needs of subordinate staff. The purpose of our study is to examine the relationship between perceived organizational support and work engagement of first-line health-care managers and the deeper mechanisms in the form of feedback seeking behavior that may positively influence this relationship.MethodsData collection was carried out in the form of a questionnaire survey in the period February 2021. Respondents were first-level medical managers from different types of clinical areas and from all Slovak hospitals (221). The PLS-SEM method was used to analyze paths between variables and to analyze direct and indirect effects using SmartPLS 3.3 software.ResultsThe findings indicate a positive association of perceived organizational support and work engagement. Hypotheses about the mediation of the two components of feedback seeking behavior (monitoring and inquiring) have support in both their separate and joint mediation. At the same time, in joint mediation, a larger part of the indirect effect is transmitted by the feedback seeking behavior inquiring and thus represents a possible direction of interest for the top management of hospitals to strengthen the work engagement of their first-level managers not only for the purpose of their higher performance, but also of their job satisfaction.ConclusionPerceived organizational support enhances the work engagement of first-line managers. However, the total effect is significantly higher when feedback seeking behavior is involved not only in monitoring, but especially in inquiring.

Managing the Gender Wage Gap—How Female Managers Influence the Gender Wage Gap among Workers

Abstract Previous research shows that female managers narrow the gender wage gap (GWG) among workers but does not disentangle two general underlying mechanisms. First, female managers might use their organizational power to change organizational practices and make organizations more gender-equal. Second, female workers might benefit from interacting with a female manager, e.g. through homophily and mentoring. To disentangle these two mechanisms, I distinguish between female managers at the first management level, which is responsible mainly for organizational practices, and at the second management level, which mainly interacts with workers. Additionally, I consider practices enhancing gender equality, such as work-life balance practices. Using German linked employer–employee panel data and a firm fixed-effects regression, I find that female first-level managers slightly narrow the GWG. This influence is not affected by the consideration of organizational practices. Hence, female first-level managers do not affect workers’ by changing organizational practices. In contrast, female second-level managers considerably narrow the GWG among workers. In summary, female managers substantially reduce the GWG among workers, and this effect works via the manager–worker interaction mechanism. Hence, increasing the share of female second-level managers might close the GWG.

The impact of Industry 4.0 on organizational performance: the case of Pakistan's retail industry

PurposeThe purpose of this paper was to assess and determine the impact of the five core technologies of Industry 4.0 (3D Printing, Big Data Analytics, Cloud Computing, Internet of Things (IoT) and Robotics) on the organizational performance of the retail industry in the context of Pakistan.Design/methodology/approachPakistan's retail industry was chosen as the target sector, and the target population was composed of senior-level employees, including managers from first-level positions to top-level positions, as well as subordinate employees working under the supervision of first-level managers, possessing the technological know-how of Industry 4.0. The data were collected through a matrix-based survey questionnaire that was based on a five-point Likert scale, ranging from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.” The process of data analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics.FindingsThe findings obtained by this research work showed a significant relationship among the five core pillars of Industry 4.0 and the organizational performance of Pakistan's retail industry. Besides, the obtained findings provided preliminary evidence that Industry 4.0's disruptive technologies, particularly, 3D printing, big data analytics, cloud computing, IoT and robotics, could help Pakistan's retail industry solve various problems and challenges, such as meager revenues, increased expenses and unorganized systems.Originality/valueThe present study extended the theoretical body of knowledge through studying and examining Industry 4.0's five crucial factors that significantly contribute to the service sector, particularly, the retail industry, of the big emerging markets (BEM) economies, including Pakistan.

THE IMPACT OF HEALTHCARE WORKERS’ EXPOSURE TO MOBBING BEHAVIOR ON ATTITUDES TOWARDS VIOLENCE AT WORK

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the effect of mobbing behaviors of health workers at work on attitudes towards violence. Materials and Methods: The study included 75 health care workers who are working in the two different public hospitals. Data were collected between March and April 2016. A three-section questionnaire was used in the data collection. In the first section was contained the demographic characteristics of the participants. Other sections were “Workplace Psychologically Violent Behaviors (WPVB)" scale developed by Yıldırım and Yıldırım (2007) and "Adults’ Attitudes Scale Toward Violence Scale (AASTVS)" developed by Gür et al. (2016). Results: 82,7% of the participants in the research had one or more encountered workplace mobbing behavior from one or multiple times in the last 12 months. The most encountered mobbing behaviors of participants, respectively; attack on professional status (79%), attack on personality (76%), individual’s isolation from work (64%) and other negative behaviors (27%) were found. It is determined to be satisfied with the work of the participants medium level (2.58±1,1). In addition, when the participants have problems in their departmants, they stated that they receive support from 50.7% of the first-level manager, 46.7% of co-workers to solve. Conclusion: In this research, it is determined to participants are exposed to workplace psychological violence situations between attitudes towards violence were positive and moderately strong relationship (r = 0.447; p< 0.000) and the exposure to mobbing behavior an impact of 20% on attitudes towards violence.

IDENTIFICATION OF THE FIRST LEVEL MANAGERS’ RELEVANCE IN THE MANAGEMENT CHAIN: CASE STUDY OF WEST LITHUANIA COMPANIES

Assessment of the first level managers only in respect of their compliance with the requirements set for a particular job position isnot sufficient. A tool facilitating identification of the relevance of the first level managers in certain management chain is required asit would ensure effectiveness of their performance and harmony in the management chain. The present article aims at emphasisingthe feasibility of identification of the relevance of the first level managers in the management chain (MLM–FLM–SUB) throughpersonality traits. The research analysed the following members (links) of the management chain: first level managers (FLM), theirdirect supervisors – mid-level managers (MLM) and subordinates (SUB) – working in five furniture manufacturing companies ofthe West Lithuania Region. “The Big Five” method was applied as research instrument to assess personality traits of the first levelmanagers. Quantitative analysis enabled modelling of a graph, which represents a derived mean value of the assessment of thefirst level managers’ personality traits, designated to identify disharmonious chains in companies. When identifying the first levelmanagers’ relevance in the management chain, only individual evaluations performed by the members /links of the chains werereferred to and used as a basis for evaluation of personal traits of particular first level manager only. The obtained data supplementsdirect indicators of FLM performance assessment. KEYWORDS: first level managers, evaluation, personality traits, hierarchy, management chain, harmony, regional problems. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/ 10.15181/rfds.v11i3.610

Identification of Managerial Competency Knowledge of Management Students at Jenderal Achmad Yani University

The development of increasingly sophisticated technology is driving the era of industrial revolution 4.0, impacting Indonesian millennials entering the era of the digital economy, artificial intelligence, big data, robotics, and so on, or known as disruptive innovation phenomenon. The development of entry-level managers shows that in 2011, the company's demand was smaller than the availability of first-level managers. While it is estimated that in 2020, the company's demand will be greater than the availability of first-tier managers. This causes Indonesia to experience a gap between the needs and availability of managers both in quality and quantity of 40 to 60 percent. This study emphasized on the identification of general managerial competency knowledge, competencies seen from the frequency of managerial competency knowledge use Managerial competency identification is carried out using semi-open questionnaires, in the form of assessment of 14 manager competencies contained in generic competency model of managers from Spencer & Spencer (1993) as a reference list of competency assessment. This study used a sample of some students who were in the 7th semester as many as 192 students. The results of this study showed the highest order of Knowledge Managerial Competency occupied by Analytical Thinking (Impact and Influence) while the lowest order occupied by Developing Other (Developing others), as well as low knowledge of competency impact influence, initiative, and information seeking in students of study programs majoring in management.

Psychometric Properties of the Revised Organizational Citizenship Behaviour Questionnaire

Organizational citizenship behaviour is defined as “individual behaviour that is discretionary and not directly or explicitly recognized by the formal reward system and in the aggregate promotes the efficient and effective functioning of the organization” (Organ, Podsakoff, & MacKenzie, 2006). Nowadays it is one of the most widely studied phenomena in the field of organizational science (Podsakoff, Podsakoff, MacKenzie, Maynes, & Spoelma, 2014). Employee citizenship behaviour generates additional value for the organization by creating a positive social environment, improving the use of resources, coordinating activities within and between working groups, enhancingthe organization’s ability to attract and retain the best employees, maintaining organizational stability and adaptabilityto environmental changes. Meanwhile, citizenship behaviour is not widely studied in Lithuania and one ofthe reasons may be a lack of reliable and valid instruments that would correspond to the country’s cultural context.The first version of the Lithuanian twenty-nine items Organizational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB) questionnaireincluded dimensions of altruism, courtesy, civic virtue, conscientiousness, and was developed in 2013 (Bagdžiūnienė,Lazauskaitė-Zabielskė ir Urbanavičiūtė, 2013). Later, in 2014–2016, two studies were carried out with the aim torevise and confirm the structure of the OCB questionnaire and to re-evaluate its psychometric properties.In the first study, a total of 1985 employees from one Lithuanian public sector organization were surveyed online. Ninety-two percent of the respondents were female, the average age of respondents was 45.13 (SD = 10.3) years, with an average of 12.34 (SD = 7.74) years of working experience in the organization. Thirteen percent of the respondents were first-level managers. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) confirmed the five factor structure of the questionnaire; however, nine items with the lowest loadings were removed. The shortened version of the OCB questionnaire consists of five dimensions with four items in each scale. Cronbach’s alphas confirmed the reliability of each scale, the discriminant validity was confirmed by positive correlations between OCB dimensions and inrole behaviour, affective organizational commitment, job satisfaction and negative correlations with the intention to quit. In the second study, 647 employees from different organizations were surveyed online. Seventy-four percent of them were female, the average age of respondents was 30.64 (SD = 10.08) years, with an average of 4.45 (SD = 6.19) years of working experience in the organization. Sixteen percent of the respondents were first-level managers. Thirty-two percent of the respondents were from public and sixty-eight percent from private sector organizations. The five-factor structure was additionally approved by applying CFA in this sample, the invariance of the structure regarding gender, age, and status was also confirmed. Conclusion: The revised OCB questionnaire is a reliable and valid twenty-items multidimensional instrument and is congruent with the classical concept of OCB. It includes five dimensions of employee citizenship behaviour, namely altruism, courtesy, civic virtue, conscientiousness, and initiative. Limitations and practical applications are discussed.

Job Requirements, Resources and Proactive Behavior at Work: The Role of Work Engagement and Stress

Proactive employees are an important part of social capital in modern organizations that operate in a competitive and ever-changing business environment. Proactive behavior (PB) is defined as self-directed and future-oriented actions that are aimed to change the situation, work environment, or oneself (Bindl & Parker, 2010). Proactive workers initiate individual and organizational changes, and they not only respond to work requirements or adapt to environmental conditions (Fritz & Sonnentag, 2009). Therefore, it is important to analyze the work and personal characteristics that may be significant in order to enhance the employees’ PB. The paper presents an empirical study that integrates the theoretical approaches of Proactive Behavior (Parker & Collins, 2010) and Job Demands – Resources (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2004). It is aimed, first, to examine the links between job demands (pace and amount of work, emotional and mental workload), resources (autonomy and feedback), and work engagement and stress with employee strategic proactive behaviors as well as work and person-environment fit proactive behaviors. Second, to determine the role that work engagement and stress have in the relationships between job characteristics and PB types.
 A total of 386 employees from various Lithuanian organizations were surveyed online. Sixty one percent of the respondents were female; the average age of the respondents was 34.8 (SD = 11.32) years, with an average of 7.3 (SD = 8.22) years of working experience in their organizations. Twenty one percent of the respondents were first-level managers. Most of the respondents (93.6%) had acquired higher education.
 Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that strategic PB, through engagement as a mediator, was predicted by autonomy, mental workload, and feedback; proactive work behavior was predicted by emotional workload, while mental workload, autonomy, and feedback were related to proactive work behavior through work engagement as a mediator; proactive person-environment fit behavior was predicted only by feedback via work engagement as a mediator. The study has shown that employee PB can be reinforced not only with job resources (autonomy and feedback) but job demands as well (the mental and emotional workload) via the mediative effect of work engagement. Work stress was not related with PB. The practical applications of research findings are discussed.

Gender issues for first-level managers

Gender issues for first-level managers

Sustainability practices in tourism supply chain

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide strategic recommendations for Indian hotel administrators for improving sustainability practices: environment, economic and social with respect to the supply chain members by analyzing performance dimensions and the importance attached to them.Design/methodology/approachImportance performance analysis is a tool to analyze the perception of top-level, middle-level and first-level managers in hotels. Questionnaire is developed to collect the hotel manager’s perceptions. The snowball sampling method is used for data collection.FindingsThe paper introduces specific sustainability practices, namely, environment, economic and social factors, at the interface of the tourism supply chain (TSC). This will allow the hotels to identify the importance and performance of various sustainability practices to achieve a long-term competitive advantage. The present work finds that the responding hotel managers have given highest importance to the sustainability practices within the organization and the hotel manager’s perception of sustainability practices in the TSC will vary with respect to the supply chain members.Research limitations/implicationsThe effort has been made to capture specific sustainability practices across the supply chain. The paper reinstates the fact that sustainability practices are not firm specific and should be practiced at the supply chain interface. The data for the study were taken from focal organizations perspective which is the hotels.Practical implicationsResults provide the hotel administrators to develop appropriate strategies to improve their practices and functions by analyzing their strengths and weakness regarding their tangible and intangible assets. The identified sustainability practice attributes can act as a benchmark and drive the hotel industry toward possible cost-saving conditions by prioritizing the allocation of the resources while taking care of overall performance.Social implicationsResults will help the hotel administrators to identify the better sustainability practices which will reduce the negative effects and protect the Mother Nature.Originality/valueThe study included hotels/resorts from tourism locations: hill station, backwaters and coastal areas, specifically in the Indian context.

Corporate Entrepreneurship and International Performance: a Cross-Country Study

The overall purpose of this article is to examine the theoretical connections between Corporate Entrepreneurship-CE and International Performance-IP. More specifically, we address two main research questions: (1) How do different dimensions of CE influence IP and (2) To what extent the context of host country matters? Using a two-case study approach, we employ hybrid qualitative–quantitative analyses to address the effects of different dimensions of CE on IP. We adopted four statistical techniques: descriptive statistics, decision tree, cluster analysis, and principal components (factorial maps). The results show that country matters for the perception of the relationship between CE and IP. They show that it is meaningful to separate the different dimensions of CE (innovative behavior, new business ventures, competitive aggressiveness, product/service and process innovation, self-renewal, proactiveness, and risk taking) when examining their influence on IP. The paper focuses on three level of the organization: the production sector (staff), middle management (managers), and top management (CEO and directors). Such perspective allows to explore the role of first-level managers in a “bottom-up” process of corporate entrepreneurship. Furthermore, we distinguished between two levels of corporate entrepreneurship: results and entrepreneurial behavior.

Co-creation within hybrid networks: what can be learnt from the difficulties encountered? The example of the fight against blood- and sexually-transmitted infections

This article analyses co-creation processes within hybrid networks. Specifically, it looks at a particular co-creation mechanism, in this case, a strategic community set up to test new ways of dealing with blood- and sexually-transmitted infections in Quebec. A strategic community is a temporary structure of inter-organizational collaboration, made up of professionals, first-level managers, general practitioners, representatives of community organizations, etc. tasked with generating, implementing and evaluating new ideas about the organization of services. The results of this study highlight the difficulties encountered as well as the issues related to these co-creation processes. Notes for practitioners The implementation of co-creation processes, involving public, private and community actors, has to contend with numerous challenges: (1) the enrolment of the stakeholders concerned by the complex issues; (2) the creation of places for discussion and experimentation involving actors who play an important role in the implementation of change; (3) the mobilization of tools and facilitators to develop a common vision; (4) the action stage to validate new ways of doing things.

Employee effort - reward balance and first-level manager transformational leadership within elderly care.

Negative aspects, staff dissatisfaction and problems related to internal organisational factors of working in elderly care are well-known and documented. Much less is known about positive aspects of working in elderly care, and therefore, this study focuses on such positive factors in Swedish elderly care. We combined two theoretical models, the effort-reward imbalance model and the Transformational Leadership Style model. The aim was to estimate the potential associations between employee-perceived transformational leadership style of their managers, and employees' ratings of effort and reward within elderly care work. The article is based on questionnaires distributed at on-site visits to registered nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists (high-level education) and assistant nurses (low-level education) in nine Swedish elderly care facilities. In order to grasp the positive factors of work in elderly care, we focused on balance at work, rather than imbalance. We found a significant association between employees' effort-reward balance at work and a transformational leadership style among managers. An association was also found between employees' level of education and their assessments of the first-level managers. We conclude that the first-level manager is an important actor for achieving a good workplace within elderly care, since she/he influences employees' psychosocial working environment. We also conclude that there are differences and inequalities, in terms of well-being, effort and reward at the work place, between those with academic training and those without, in that the former group to a higher degree evaluated their first-level manager to perform a transformational leadership style, which in turn is beneficial for their psychosocial work environment. Consequently, this (re)-produce inequalities in terms of well-being, effort and reward among the employees at the work place.

Using strategic communities to foster inter-organizational collaboration

Purpose The purpose of this paper is: to report on an experiment in building up inter-organizational collaboration between healthcare organizations; and to identify how structure and some of the components of the strategic community (SC) approach to organizational change can have a long-term impact on inter-organizational collaboration. Design/methodology/approach This paper resulted from participative action-research held from 2007 to 2013. A systematic collection of data (field notes, 746 hours of observations, proceedings, 186 interviews, journals, focus groups, discussion forums) was conducted in the various cycles of the action-research. Findings Adapted to the healthcare sector, the SC has taken the form of a temporary inter-organizational collaboration structure composed of health professionals, first-level managers, general practitioners, specialized doctors, and non-profit organization representatives. The SC approach appeared to be an efficient strategy for taking action. Practical implications The SC approach appeared to be appropriate for cases where the inter-organizational collaboration had clearly declined, where several other attempts had failed, and where the care trajectory involved vulnerable clients who had to travel between different service points for the required care. Originality/value This study illustrates how SC helps to significantly improve inter-organizational collaboration in the healthcare sector. It likewise acknowledges the relevance of Thomson and Perry’s (2006) work in analyzing and emphasizing the dimensions required to ensure successful inter-organizational collaboration.