Developing management skills for physicians is important for healthcare organisations with the advent of clinical and administrative management. However, the identification of the factors that encourage their involvement in this process is patchy. This systematic review of the literature, including 26 studies selected using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) protocol, identifies factors facilitating/inhibiting physician involvement, expectations on the part of managers and avenues for improvement. The results reveal the factors determining doctors’ motivation to take on a managerial role, the influence of organizational context and support, and avenues for process improvement. In addition, corrective measures are proposed to encourage physician involvement in the management of clinical activities, and the challenges associated are presented. These findings are of interest both for career management policies within healthcare organizations and for the academic training of physicians.