Separately Together

In Separately Together, C. Marlena Fiol and Edward J. O’Connor delineate a process for building a harmonious, productive, and mutually beneficial relationship between the administrators and medical staff of any hospital. The authors appeal to evidence that hospital quality outcomes in the United States are at a critically unacceptable level, resulting from both inside and outside factors. Fiol and O’Connor insist that revolutionizing the working relationship between the administration and staff will alleviate many of the internal problems and help hospitals achieve better outcomes. What makes the authors’ method unique is that it begins with strengthening the two groups as distinct units before beginning work on aligning their objectives and strategies.