Compassionate Leaders Research Articles

How Leaders ‘Strength of Heart’ and ‘Strength of Will’ Enhance Team Performance

ABSTRACT We investigate the influence of leaders’ dispositional compassion on team development and performance through two studies. In the first multi-source study (n = 154 team leaders), leaders’ dispositional compassion is found to be associated with improved team performance through the adoption of helping behaviors aimed at developing team capabilities. This relationship is moderated by leaders’ perseverance, suggesting that compassionate leaders transition from being inclined to help to actually helping only when they also demonstrate perseverance. In the second multi-source longitudinal study (n = 52 team leaders), we find support for the notion that the positive effect of leaders’ dispositional compassion on team development-helping behaviors is conditional on leaders’ perseverance, thus reinforcing our findings from the first study. We suggest that although dispositional compassion, a “strength of heart,” is a well-known predictor of helping, the feelings and intentions of compassion do not guarantee helping behaviors. Translating these feelings and intentions into compassionate behaviors requires perseverance – a “strength of will.” Hence, our study indicates that leaders’ dispositional compassion is not just a potential humanizing force but also positively correlates with team performance. However, the impact of leaders’ dispositional compassion on team performance only emerges through perseverance in the face of challenges.

Compassionate leaders influence nurses’ emotional healing during the COVID-19 crisis in hospitals

Background: The crisis situation during the pandemic has placed an additional burden on nurses regarding the care of COVID-19 patients. This is due to several factors, including the emergence of new disease variants, a rising number of cases, limited access to information, and nurses’ psychological well-being. Therefore, it is crucial for nurses to receive support from their leadership to effectively fulfill their roles Objective: To determine the key dimensions of compassionate leadership that have the greatest impact on the emotional well-being of nurses working in COVID-19 treatment rooms. Methods: The research design employs a cross-sectional approach, with the independent variable being compassionate leadership, encompassing dimensions such as presence, understanding, empathy, and assistance. The dependent variable under examination is emotional healing. The sampling technique applied is purposive sampling, resulting in a sample size of 200 respondents across eight treatment rooms. Results: Nurses, on the whole, perceived their leaders’ implementation of compassionate leadership during the pandemic crisis as fairly adequate, scoring it at 66.4%. As for emotional healing among nurses, it was, on average, fulfilled to a level of 68.3%. Importantly, there exists a significant relationship between compassionate leadership and emotional healing. Specifically, among the dimensions of compassionate leadership, the one that had the most substantial influence on nurses’ emotional healing was “helping”. Conclusion: Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic crisis in hospitals, nurses required assistance and support from leadership to navigate the challenges encountered while actively providing care. These interventions could be effectively incorporated by nurses to complement ongoing tuberculosis treatment therapies.

Leading with Compassion: An Inquiry into Compassionate Leadership of School Principals that Impact Teacher Attitudes and Job Performance

Leaders and organizations worldwide faced tough decisions while responding to the complications of operating during the pandemic, COVID-19. Schools were not exempt from this mayhem. The rapid need for transition to virtual classrooms stressed teachers even as they battled with the virus. Teachers required a compassionate leader during the crisis. With stress at an all-time high, accompanied by uncertainty about the future, compassionate leadership was a crucial factor to navigate through such crises. Regarding compassionate leadership of school principals, researchers are yet to thoroughly study its conceptual and empirical relationship with teacher attitudes and behaviours. Although evolving research addresses the outcomes of compassionate leadership, little is known about how compassionate school principals impact work attitudes and behaviours of teachers. Hence, we present a broad theoretical framework of how compassionate leadership of school principals influences teacher work attitudes and job performance. Mainly, we analyse the relationships between compassionate leadership and teachers’ resilience, work engagement, psychological well-being, and job performance. We base our study on trust, positive emotions, and self-efficacy theories to explain the compassionate leadership process. We advance research propositions and discuss the implications for future research and compassionate leadership practices at schools.

Decoding Disengament: Exploring The Pitfalls When Compassionate Leaders With A Development Focus Fall Short In Employee Commitment

Decoding Disengament: Exploring The Pitfalls When Compassionate Leaders With A Development Focus Fall Short In Employee Commitment

Beyond empathy training for practitioners: Cultivating empathic healthcare systems and leadership.

Empathic care benefits patients and practitioners, and empathy training for practitioners can enhance empathy. However, practitioners do not operate in a vacuum. For empathy to thrive, healthcare consultations must be situated in a nurturing milieu, guided by empathic, compassionate leaders. Empathy will be suppressed, or even reversed if practitioners are burned out and working in an unpleasant, under-resourced environment with increasingly poorly served and dissatisfied patients. Efforts to enhance empathy must therefore go beyond training practitioners to address system-level factors that foster empathy. These include patient education, cultivating empathic leadership, customer service training for reception staff, valuing cleaning and all ancillary staff, creating healing spaces, and using appropriate, efficiency saving technology to reduce the administrative burden on healthcare practitioners. We divide these elements into environmental factors, organisational factors, job factors, and individual characteristics.

Understanding compassionate leadership

In a culture of compassion and care, the benefits to the individual and the organisation are vast—these include: creating a positive working environment; staff wellbeing; high morale; engaged workforce; and commitment to the organisation. All these factors will ultimately lead to a high quality of care for patients, and a better patient experience and outcomes. The challenges faced by society and the workforce today heighten our need for compassionate leaders across health and social care. A compassionate leader is an individual who embodies care, kindness, consideration, wisdom and integrity in their treatment of themselves and others. The article looks at compassionate leadership—its definition, characteristics, and traits. While the benefits are well documented in the literature, this article discusses the challenges that compassionate leaders may encounter and how best to support their development accordingly. The importance of self-awareness and self-care is vital to sustain the energy levels and effectiveness of the compassionate leader. Compassionate leadership has the ability to make individuals feel supported, valued and dignified. It is the author's view that it is one of the most important leadership styles within 21st century health care.

Uncovering paradoxes of compassion at work: a dyadic study of compassionate leader behavior.

In today's business world, organizations tend to overlook that employees face suffering caused by work and non-work-related events that can negatively impact business organizations in the long run. One way to address this challenge is through leadership acknowledging and alleviating employees' suffering to ensure a company's success. However, research on compassion and leadership in business settings is still relatively scarce. In this study, we aim to extend the organizational compassion literature by addressing our research question: "What are paradoxes induced by compassionate leader behavior in the workplace in the context of social hierarchy?". We conducted a qualitative exploratory study based on 12 semi-structured interviews with six dyads of leaders and their direct subordinates from small, medium, and large firms representing different industries. The findings of our study indicate that compassionate leader behavior goes hand-in-hand with paradoxical situations that both leader and member face in the workplace, supporting the proposition that compassion as a social, interpersonal process is complex and multi-faceted. Our analysis identified 6 compassion paradoxes that spring from compassion from a leader towards a member. Our study differentiates from other research of compassion paradoxes in the sense that it also focuses on the interplay between leader and member. From that perspective, the findings of our study indicate that social hierarchy is playing a crucial role and exacerbating some paradoxical tensions. This consideration implies that to be effective, compassionate leaders need to have or develop the ability to continuously transcend those compassion paradoxes, as well as support their members in transcending the paradoxes they find themselves dealing with. Thus, the findings of our study contribute to management literature in the field of Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS) by highlighting compassion as a critical element of dyadic leader-subordinate relationships that could be reinforced by systematically building more competence in leaders and members to navigate the tensions emerging from the identified compassion paradoxes. Additionally, we provide limitations and recommendations for further research, along with several theoretical and practical implications of the results, which are particularly relevant for practitioners such as managing directors, leaders, employees, human resource managers, academics, and business and HR consultants.

Explanation of context, mechanisms and outcomes in adult community mental health crisis care: the MH-CREST realist evidence synthesis.

Mental health crises cause significant disruption to individuals and families and can be life-threatening. The large number of community crisis services operating in an inter-agency landscape complicates access to help. It is unclear which underpinning mechanisms of crisis care work, for whom and in which circumstances. The aim was to identify mechanisms to explain how, for whom and in what circumstances adult community crisis services work. The objectives were to develop, test and synthesise programme theories via (1) stakeholder expertise and current evidence; (2) a context, intervention, mechanism and outcome framework; (3) consultation with experts; (4) development of pen portraits; (5) synthesis and refinement of programme theories, including mid-range theory; and (6) identification and dissemination of mechanisms needed to trigger desired context-specific crisis outcomes. This study is a realist evidence synthesis, comprising (1) identification of initial programme theories; (2) prioritisation, testing and refinement of programme theories; (3) focused realist reviews of prioritised initial programme theories; and (4) synthesis to mid-range theory. The main outcome was to explain context, mechanisms and outcomes in adult community mental health crisis care. Data were sourced via academic and grey literature searches, expert stakeholder group consultations and 20 individual realist interviews with experts. A realist evidence synthesis with primary data was conducted to test and refine three initial programme theories: (1) urgent and accessible crisis care, (2) compassionate and therapeutic crisis care and (3) inter-agency working. Community crisis services operate best within an inter-agency system. This requires compassionate leadership and shared values that enable staff to be supported; retain their compassion; and, in turn, facilitate compassionate interventions for people in crisis. The complex interface between agencies is best managed through greater clarity at the boundaries of services, making referral and transition seamless and timely. This would facilitate ease of access and guaranteed responses that are trusted by the communities they serve. Strengths include the identification of mechanisms for effective inter-agency community crisis care and meaningful stakeholder consultation that grounded the theories in real-life experience. Limitations include the evidence being heavily weighted towards England and the review scope excluding full analysis of ethnic and cultural diversity. Multiple interpretations of crises and diverse population needs present challenges for improving the complex pathways to help in a crisis. Inter-agency working requires clear policy guidance with local commissioning. Seamless transitions between services generate trust through guaranteed responses and ease of navigation. This is best achieved where there is inter-agency affiliation that supports co-production. Compassionate leaders engender staff trust, and outcomes for people in crisis improve when staff are supported to retain their compassion. Further work might explore inter-agency models of crisis delivery, particularly in rural communities. Future work could focus on evaluating outcomes across crisis care provider agencies and include evaluation of individual, as well as service-level, outcomes. The implementation and effect of mental health triage could be explored further, including via telehealth. Barriers to access for marginalised populations warrant a specific focus in future research. The study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42019141680. This project was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme and will be published in full in Health and Social Care Delivery Research; Vol. 11, No. 15. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Trauma-Informed Compassionate Leader Behaviors-Compassion at Work for Those Who Have Suffered Trauma

Trauma-Informed Compassionate Leader Behaviors-Compassion at Work for Those Who Have Suffered Trauma

Compassionate Leadership: An Essential Approach Post-COVID

The recent pandemic demonstrated the importance of leading with compassion. Compassionate leaders understand and care for those they lead. Through an analysis of recent publications on compassionate leadership and personal stories of leadership experiences, the author defines what compassionate leadership is, and identifies skills and traits that leaders need to harness to excel in today’s changing workplace.

Whither compassionate leadership? A systematic review

AbstractRecent disastrous events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, has amplified the appeal for compassionate leadership in organizations and is viewed as the need of the hour. While compassion is a timeless concept, there appears to be a lack of clarity around the idea of compassionate leadership, and the current understanding appears limited, fragmented, and scattered across the literature. This integrative systematic review of 41 articles during the last 20 years (2002–2021) conceptualizes six critical dimensions of compassionate leadership, namely: empathy; openness and communication; physical, mental health and well-being; inclusiveness; integrity; respect and dignity. These findings enhance our understanding of how organizational leaders can effectively incorporate the dimensions to become compassionate leaders. The review examines how compassionate leadership is defined and understood in the literature, and a contribution in the form of a definition for compassionate leadership is offered. Finally, gaps in the literature are highlighted, offering avenues for future research, along with implications for research, theory, and practice.

How to become a compassionate leader

Sam Foster, Chief Nurse, Oxford University Hospitals, discusses a set of attributes that will enable managers to create workplace environments within which colleagues are empathetic and supportive of one another.

Being a compassionate leader.

Sam Foster, Chief Nurse, Oxford University Hospitals, considers what it means to be a compassionate leader who is aware of others' wellbeing, and how practising mindfulness can help.

Shattering Glass Ceilings: Three Black Women Surgeons Ascend to Chairs of Departments of Surgery.

Shattering Glass Ceilings: Three Black Women Surgeons Ascend to Chairs of Departments of Surgery.

Leading with Passion – What It Means, Why It Matters

This ability to care, or to lead with passion, has increasingly been identified as a quality of today’s leaders and has been cited as an essential condition precedent for successful organizations (Duckworth, 2018; Love, 2012; Collins, 2001). Understanding the role of passion in in building strong relationships has practical benefits for both leaders and followers. The focus of this paper was to identify key elements of passion that contribute to effective leadership and to explain why leading with passion is so important in today’s highly competitive business climate. The authors provided eight elements or qualities that are critical to leading with passion, five guiding principles to assist today’s leaders and managers for becoming caring and compassionate leaders, and concluded with a challenge to those who wish to lead effectively to honor the duties that leadership demands.

Clinical ethical practice and associated factors in healthcare facilities in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundClinical ethical practice (CEP) is required for healthcare workers (HCWs) to improve health-care delivery. However, there are gaps between accepted ethical standards and CEP in Ethiopia. There have been limited studies conducted on CEP in the country. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the magnitude and associated factors of CEP among healthcare workers in healthcare facilities in Ethiopia.MethodFrom February to April 2021, a mixed-method study was conducted in 24 health facilities, combining quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative (survey questionnaire) and qualitative (semi-structured interviews) data were collected. For quantitative and qualitative data analysis, Stata version 14 and Atlas.ti version 7 were utilized. Multiple logistic regression and thematic analysis for quantative and qualitative respectively used.ResultsFrom a total of 432 study participants, 407 HCWs were involved in the quantitative analysis, 36 participants were involved in five focus group discussions (FGDs), and eleven key informant interviews (KIIs) were involved in the qualitative analysis. The score of good CEP was 32.68%. Similarly, the scores of good knowledge and attitude were 33.50% and 25.31%, respectively. In the multiple logistic regression models, satisfaction with the current profession, availability of functional CECs, compassionate leaders, previously thought clinical ethics in pre-service education and good attitude were significant factors associated with CEP. Among these significant factors, knowledge, compassionate leaders, poor infrastructure, a conducive environment and positive attitudes were also determinants of CEP according to qualitative findings.ConclusionsThe CEP in health care services in Ethiopia is low. Satisfaction with the current profession, functional CECs, positive attitude, compassionate leaders and previously thought clinical ethics were significant factors associated with CEP. The Ministry of Health (MoH) should integrate interventions by considering CECs, compassionate leadership, and positive attitudes and enhance the knowledge of health professionals. Additionally, digitalization, intersectoral collaboration and institutionalization are important for promoting CEP.

A Season for PALTC: Improving Quality, Increasing Transparency, and Strengthening Our Workforce

A Season for PALTC: Improving Quality, Increasing Transparency, and Strengthening Our Workforce

Leading with Compassion in Times of Change

Managers face various challenges and difficulties at work, especially in dealing with changes. The adverse events can be compounded when personal problems also put additional pressure on the manager. The compassionate leader can function to alleviate the stress. This study shows how leading with compassion, where leaders are sensitive to problems, feeling those difficulties, and are motivated to help. By referring to the positive organization literature, aspects, and processes of compassion in organizations are disclosed. Likewise, how compassionate leaders increase the attention and understanding, empathize with the needs of managers and their future are also explained. Furthermore, leaders can also be present in the various policies that they create. This study is useful for making leadership effective, especially in managing organizational change.

Enactment of compassionate leadership by nursing and midwifery managers: results from an international online survey

AimTo explore the views of an international sample of nursing and midwifery managers concerning attributes that they associate with compassionate management.MethodA cross-sectional online survey. Using a snowballing sampling method, 1217...

The AOA: A Comprehensive House with Compassionate Leaders. Presidential Address to the AOA, June 15, 2020: AOA Critical Issues.

The American Orthopaedic Association (AOA) is the world's oldest orthopaedic association and it has been responsible for the founding of many prominent organizations as well as The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. While the AOA has traditionally focused on academic orthopaedic leadership, the time has come to expand our horizons and look to include all orthopaedic leaders from the wide variety of leadership roles in which they currently serve.Orthopaedic surgeons who demonstrate compassionate leadership will find that they create stronger, more successful teams. Compassionate leadership is a skill that can be learned, and investing the energy to develop this skill will have a profound impact on our success as orthopaedic surgeons and leaders.