This paper argues that the focus of research to improve health services has, until recently, been on health technology assessment. The authors make the case for a greater emphasis on research on how health services are managed, organised and delivered, and refer to initiatives in a number of countries which are seeking to address this balance. The way two such initiatives in England and Canada have set priorities for this type of research, involving a wide range of stakeholders is described. The authors argue that a wide range of disciplines needs to be applied to research on the organisation and delivery of health services. Important theoretical differences between and within disciplines, and their implications for research methods, are discussed. An example of an issue in the delivery of organisation of health services (how best to deliver orthopaedic care) is used to illustrate how a number of different disciplines can be applied. The challenge for researchers from these disciplines is to see how far they can work together to carry out research in this important field. The challenge for this research is that the findings are valued and used by health service professionals, managers and users.