Managing liminality: professional care during organizational change

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the way in which the theoretical construct of liminality contributes to understanding the process of dying of cancer from the perspective of patients, carers and professionals in a state-run organization undergoing privatization.Design/methodology/approachQualitative interviews were held with 13 patients and their carers and two focus groups with eight physiotherapists and occupational therapists. Data were analysed from the perspective of liminality for all three actors: patients, carers and health professionals.FindingsThe theoretical construct of liminality was useful for understanding the lived experience of patients and their carers. However, a major finding of this study reveals that health professionals operated in a dual space as both managers of the ritual process and individuals undergoing a liminal journey as their organization underwent transformation or restructure. Clients and carers had little knowledge of these tensions.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings are limited by the fact that the interviews did not directly ask questions about the restructure of the organization.Social implicationsIt would appear that professionals provide quality care despite their own struggles in moving from one organizational form to anotherOriginality/valueFew studies have explored the liminal rituals of dying at home that outline how professionals, as managers of the process, deal with their own liminal issues.