Leadership development in healthcare: a qualitative study

Abstract

AbstractChallenges associated with leading a $1.7 trillion industry have created a need for strong leaders at all levels in healthcare organizations. However, despite growing support for the importance of leadership development practices across industries, little is known about leadership development in healthcare organizations. An extensive qualitative study comprised of 35 expert interviews and 55 organizational case studies included 160 in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews and explored this issue. Across interviews, several themes emerged around leadership development challenges that were particularly salient to healthcare organizations. Informants described how the relative newness of leadership development practices in a majority of healthcare organizations contributes to an overall perception of haphazard practices throughout the industry. In addition, respondents noted challenges associated with developing leaders who would be representative of the patient community served, and commented on the pressure to segregate different professional groups for leadership development. Framed by these challenges, I propose a conceptual model of commitment to leadership development in healthcare organizations as influenced by three factors—strategy, culture, and structure. These, in turn, influence program design decisions and can impact organizational effectiveness. In the context of inherently complex healthcare organizations where leaders must respond to multiple stakeholders and meet performance goals across multiple dimensions of effectiveness, addressing these reported challenges and considering the importance of organizational commitment to leadership development can help ensure that programs are effectively designed, delivered, and sustained. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.