This article explores approaches to health management research in Australia. This paper points to a collaborative approach that brings researchers, industry and professional bodies together around common research interests rather than around fixed institutions. In contrast to organisation-based research institutes or collectives, this article suggests an alternative model of collaboration based on a distributed leadership framework. While understanding the value of institution-based research collectives, this paper points to a model that can operate along side organisation-based research structures. This paper reframes the current thinking on how health management research is organised and undertaken, particularly in organisations where there is not a critical mass of researchers in a given specialisation.