Our article reviews research on “organizational science and health care,” defined broadly as research focusing on topics commonly studied in the organizational and management literatures and conducted in health care settings. Using almost 700 articles published in leading organizational science (OS) and health care (HC) journals over the past decade, we first apply network methods to map this burgeoning field of research, highlighting topics that appear more in the foreground (and background) of the field. We then conduct an in-depth review of recent and influential articles, studying the five most prominent topics: organizational change, learning, coordination/cooperation, teams/structure, and performance. Next, we synthesize this research, highlighting the patient-centered, dynamic, and specialized nature of health care work, and detailing disciplinary distinctions across studies published in OS and HC journals. Whereas research in OS journals tends to emphasize broad generalizability and organizing processes, research in HC journals tends to emphasize contextualized problems and the role of organizational structures and practices in solving them. We conclude by articulating the need for a broader coordination that integrates both of these disciplinary orientations in ways that could allow scholars to advance organizational science and health care with future research that is both rigorous and relevant.

One of the top ten most-read Annals articles in 2021 (December, 2021)