Leadership coaching in health care

Abstract

Purpose

Medicine is undergoing dramatic changes that will alter its basic organizational structure. The integration of evidence‐based medicine, patient centered care, and the electronic medical record into medical practice will necessitate innovative approaches to management.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of the literature was undertaken to assess the current state of leadership coaching for physicians and non‐medical health care leaders. Different models of leadership coaching are described and examined.

Findings

Leadership coaching has been an underutilized resource in health care executive training. The use of coaching methods has been of great utility for physician and non‐medical managerial leadership. Health care leaders will need to develop interpersonal and emotional intelligence competencies in order to successfully run increasingly complex organizations.

Originality/value

To encourage further quantitative studies of coaching in the health care field. Such studies would be significantly helpful in elucidating those approaches to coaching that yield the best results. Encouraging the greater use of leadership coaching by medical executives can be of potentially important benefit to the successful operation of their institutions.

Citation

Henochowicz, S. and Hetherington, D. (2006), "Leadership coaching in health care", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 27 No. 3, pp. 183-189. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437730610657703