Physician-leader on-boarding: the Cleveland Clinic experience

Abstract

Purpose

Because leadership competencies differ from the clinical and scientific competencies that make physicians successful in their clinical and scientific roles, leadership development programs are now receiving attention.

Design/methodology/approach

As one component of the leadership development program at the Cleveland Clinic, the Physician-Leader On-Boarding Program offers newly appointed chairs a structured interaction with executive coaches with the goal of increasing self-awareness and, secondarily, developing a personal leadership development plan. New leaders review their inventory of healthcare leadership competencies and receive expert guidance regarding their ratings on a 360o feedback assessment and a self-rated psychometric instrument. The final activity of the two- to three-month program is the new leader's presenting and discussing a personal leadership development plan with the coaches.

Findings

Between December 2006 and June 2010, 25 new Cleveland Clinic department or institute chairs participated in the program, of whom 22 were invited to participate and 14 responded to a survey regarding their experience of the program. Respondents rated the program highly 4.92 out of maximum 5 on “I would recommend the program to my colleagues,” and also suggested that expectations could be better clarified, that the scope of on-boarding should be broader, and that longitudinal coaching should be offered.

Originality/value

The results generally support the value of an on-boarding program for new physician-leaders while identifying future opportunities. The aforementioned suggestions regarding broader scope, clear expectations and follow-up are discussed as opportunities to strengthen the on-boarding experience, and to identify areas that may need to be reinforced.

Citation

K. Stoller, J., Barker, C. and FitzSimons, K. (2013), "Physician-leader on-boarding: the Cleveland Clinic experience", Journal of Management Development, Vol. 32 No. 9, pp. 960-970. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-06-2011-0072