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The purpose of this paper is to describe a two-part study that has explored the organisational and leadership competencies required for successful service integration within a health consortia in Australia. Preliminary organisational and leadership competency frameworks were developed to serve as reference points as the consortia it expanded to cater for increased service demand in the midst of significant health reform.

The study design is outlined, which involved literature reviews and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders to ascertain the key determinants of successful service integration at both organisational and leadership levels.

The literature reviews revealed little existing research specifically focused on the organisational and leadership competencies that underpin successful service integration. The themes from the literature reviews and semi-structured interviews informed the preliminary organisational and leadership competency frameworks. Both frameworks are outlined in the paper. Key determinants of successful service integration – at both an organisational and individual leadership level – are also presented.

This is a one-organisation case study and the competency frameworks presented are preliminary. However, the study findings provide a foundation for further research focusing on the longer-term success of service integration.

Service integration in health is a new and emerging area, and there is little extant research exploring the organisational and leadership competencies underpinning its success. The competency frameworks presented in the paper may be of interest to other consortia and organisations engaged in service integration and other forms of merger and collaboration.

This paper aims to examine the leadership competencies of first-line nurse managers (FLNMs) at the unit level in the eastern region of Ghana.

The paper is a quantitative cross-section design.

Nurse managers exhibited a moderate level of knowledge and ability to apply leadership competencies. Gender, rank, qualification, professional experience, management experience and management training jointly predicted the leadership competencies of FLNMs [(R² = 0.158, p = 0.016]. However, only management training was a significant predictor in the model.

Inappropriate leadership competencies have severe consequences for patients and staff outcomes. This situation necessitates a call for a well-structured program for the appointment of FLNMs based on competencies.

This study is the first in Ghana which we are aware of that examined the leadership competencies at the unit level that identifies predictors of leadership competencies.

The COVID-19 pandemic has uncovered public health vulnerabilities worldwide, particularly in the hard-hit USA. US public health professionals, regardless of role, may need to exercise leadership in both planned and unexpected situations. This model of practice outside of traditional roles, known as Public Health 3.0, requires adaptive leadership – a systems approach to making progress on complex challenges. Educational programs should improve students’ adaptive leadership competency to prepare them for the public health workforce. This paper aims to provide an educational framework for implementing adaptive leadership instruction for undergraduate students.

This paper used experiential and traditional instructional strategies and adaptive leadership competencies to develop a semester-length leadership course for undergraduate students in health, nursing, social science, business and education. Adaptive leadership principles were learned and practiced, preparing students for systemic challenges through the lens of Public Health 3.0. Competencies were assessed pre- and post-semester.

Of 248 students, 72% were health professions majors. Students reported pre-post scores on 29 measures of competency, interest, learning and behavioral change. Quantitative evaluations identified statistically significant improvement in all domains. Additional quantitative feedback indicated improvement on the three Kirkpatrick levels of evaluation assessed (reaction, learning and behavior).

Tiered evaluation methods indicated that this leadership course enhanced participants’ self-reported adaptive leadership learning and competency, as well as intention and ability to translate learning into practice. A broad spectrum of competency development is needed for students entering practice in the Public Health 3.0 era, particularly related to pandemic response.

The health information management (HIM) profession lacks clarity around leadership and leadership development. To date, little empirical research exists on this topic, and it is unclear if broader approaches for healthcare leadership are suitable. This paper aims to explore which the leadership styles are relevant to the HIM profession. The findings were also used to inform a discussion on how HIM professionals could develop these leadership styles.

Through a systematic scoping literature review, deductive thematic analysis was undertaken to extrapolate common themes around this style of leadership based on transversal competency domains that reflect twenty-first century skills (i.e. critical thinking and innovation, interpersonal, intrapersonal and global citizenship) (Bernard, Watch and Ryan, 2016; UNESCO, 2015). This approach enabled the findings to be discussed from a leadership development perspective.

Analysis of the literature revealed that a relational leadership style through a team-based approach is required. Literature studies on how to develop leadership competencies were not found.

Future policy and research implications include the need for research on transversal competencies to determine if they can shape HIM leadership development.

This leadership style and competencies proposed are relevant across many occupations and may have broader applications for leadership research, education and development.

This paper defines the style of leadership required in the HIM profession and identifies a succinct set of contemporary competencies to inform the development of this type of leadership.

Healthcare providers are under pressure due to increasing and more complex demands for services. Increased pressure on budgets and human resources adds to an ever-growing problem set. Competent leaders are in demand to ensure effective and well-performing healthcare organisations that deliver balanced results and high-quality services. Researchers have made significant efforts to identify and define determining competencies for healthcare leadership. Broad terms such as competence are, however, inherently at risk of becoming too generic to add analytical value. The purpose of this study is to suggest a holistic framework for understanding healthcare leadership competence, that can be crucial for operationalising important healthcare leadership competencies for researchers, decision-makers as well as practitioners.

In the present study, a critical interpretive synthesis (CIS) was conducted to analyse competency descriptions for healthcare leaders. The descriptions were retrieved from peer reviewed empirical studies published between 2010 and 2022 that aimed to identify healthcare services leadership competencies. Grounded theory was utilised to code the data and inductively develop new categories of healthcare leadership competencies. The categorisation was then analysed to suggest a holistic framework for healthcare leadership competence.

Forty-one papers were included in the review. Coding and analysing the competence descriptions resulted in 12 healthcare leadership competence categories: (1) character, (2) interpersonal relations, (3) leadership, (4) professionalism, (5) soft HRM, (6) management, (7) organisational knowledge, (8) technology, (9) knowledge of the healthcare environment, (10) change and innovation, (11) knowledge transformation and (12) boundary spanning. Based on this result, a holistic framework for understanding and analysing healthcare services leadership competencies was suggested. This framework suggests that the 12 categories of healthcare leadership competencies include a range of knowledge, skills and abilities that can be understood across the dimension personal – and technical, and organisational internal and – external competencies.

This literature review was conducted with the results of searching only two electronic databases. Because of this, there is a chance that there exist empirical studies that could have added to the development of the competence categories or could have contradicted some of the descriptions used in this analysis that were assessed as quite harmonised. A CIS also opens for a broader search, including the grey literature, books, policy documents and so on, but this study was limited to peer-reviewed empirical studies. This limitation could also have affected the result, as complex phenomenon such as competence might have been disclosed in greater details in, for example, books.

The holistic framework for healthcare leadership competences offers a common understanding of a “fuzzy” concept such as competence and can be used to identify specific competency needs in healthcare organisations, to develop strategic competency plans and educational programmes for healthcare leaders.

This study reveals a lack of consensus regarding the use and understanding of the concept of competence, and that key competencies addressed in the included papers are described vastly different in terms of what knowledge, skills and abilities they entail. This challenges the operationalisation of healthcare services leadership competencies. The proposed framework for healthcare services leadership competencies offers a common understanding of work-related competencies and a possibility to analyse key leadership competencies based on a holistic framework.

The Food Systems Leadership Institute (FSLI) is a 2-year leadership development program consisting of 3 intensive in-person immersion retreats, and a robust and customizable distance-based program. Participants come primarily from land-grant and public universities and learn about personal, organizational and system leadership with a focus on food systems as an organizing theme. For this study, program graduates from FSLI Cohorts 4-6 (n=60) were asked to complete an online retrospective pre- and post-test of skill competency and skill use for 20 competencies addressed in the program, with 47 (78%) completing the survey. Data indicate participants’ ratings of skill competency increased significantly across all 20 targeted areas.Participants further noted that they used these skills more after completing the program as compared to prior to the Fellowship training. Data suggest the FSLI model of leadership development can have a significant impact on participants’ perceived skill level in and use of important skills in both personal and organizational leadership in academic and food system settings.

The purpose of this paper was to determine the complementarity between the Canadian Medical Education Directions for Specialists (CanMEDS) physician competency and LEADS leadership capability frameworks from three perspectives: epistemological, philosophical and pragmatic. Based on those findings, the authors propose how the frameworks collectively layout pathways of lifelong learning for physician leadership.

Using a qualitative approach combining critical discourse analysis with a modified Delphi, the authors examined “How complementary the CanMEDS and LEADS frameworks are in guiding physician leadership development and practice” with the following sub-questions: What are the similarities and differences between CanMEDS and LEADS from: An epistemological and philosophical perspective? The perspective of guiding physician leadership training and practice? How can CanMEDS and LEADS guide physician leadership development from medical school to retirement?

Similarities and differences exist between the two frameworks from philosophical and epistemological perspectives with significant complementarity. Both frameworks are founded on a caring ethos and value physician leadership – CanMEDS (for physicians) and LEADS (physicians as one of many professions) define leadership similarly. The frameworks share beliefs in the function of leadership, embrace a belief in distributed leadership, and although having some philosophical differences, have a shared purpose (preparing for changing health systems). Practically, the frameworks are mutually supportive, addressing leadership action in different contexts and where there is overlap, complement one another in intent and purpose.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to map the CanMEDS (physician competency) and LEADS (leadership capabilities) frameworks. By determining the complementarity between the two, synergies can be used to influence physician leadership capacity needed for today and the future.

This paper aims to describe an interprofessional leadership training program curriculum implemented by a new maternal and child health leadership training program, its collaboration with a well-established leadership consortium, the measures taken to evaluate this training and implications for other leadership programs.

The intentional leadership program weaves together the complementary core threads to create strong sets of skills in the areas of personal leadership, leading and influencing others and creating effective interprofessional partnerships with others around women and children’s health.

The strong emphasis on the incorporation of leadership competencies coupled with evidence-based leadership training strengthens students’ clinical skills, enhances workforce development and increases interdisciplinary health care practices.

The findings presented in this paper are limited to self-reported changes in understanding components of leadership skills for self, others and the wider community and attitudes and beliefs related to interdisciplinary training and interprofessional team decision-making.

The in-depth focus on one’s self, teams and on the wider community enhances each individual’s grasp of how people and organizations approach women and children’s health challenges and strengthens their ability to negotiate among the diverse disciplines and cultures.

This paper details the intentional incorporation of leadership skill development throughout an academic program and brings to focus the importance of thoughtful leadership development to prepare participants to anticipate, manage and take advantage of changes in knowledge and health care delivery systems.

Public administration faces a crisis in leadership and new leaders need to be trained to fill the gap. Leadership theory and models are reviewed in the light of this. Based on a study of training programmes in eight countries, core leadership competencies are identified within the ‘Leadership and Management Skill Set’. A further review identified differences in the competencies and training needed for senior, middle and line managers.

The purpose of this paper is to determine the particular competencies demonstrated by effective physician leaders. Changing organizational and environmental dynamics present unique challenges to leaders in the field of healthcare. An accelerated emphasis on increasing the quality of health care delivery, containing costs, and restructuring the delivery of health care itself are redefining the very nature of healthcare and the roles of physicians as leaders. Given this context, the authors propose to identify the essential competencies for twenty-first century physician leadership.

In all, 53 critical incident interviews from 28 physicians identified as emerging leaders at the Cleveland Clinic, a top-rated US academic healthcare institution, were examined in two ways: an existing leadership competency model was applied to each critical incident and inductively derived themes were identified through thematic analysis of the incidents.

The predominant distinguishing leadership competencies demonstrated by the physician leaders included: Empathy, Initiative, Emotional Self-Awareness and Organizational Awareness. Communicating deliberately, getting buy-in from colleagues, focussing on the mission of the organization and showing respect for others were also discovered through thematic analysis to be essential practices of these effective physician leaders. Over 90 percent of the critical incident stories dealt with colleague-to-colleague interactions.

The research was conducted in one academic healthcare organization, thus limiting the generalizability of the results. Additional research testing these results in a variety of healthcare institutions is warranted.

This study identified specific competencies that distinguish effective physician leaders. These leaders actively sought to work with colleagues to obtain their input and consensus in order to enact organizational change and improve health care delivery in their institution. Importantly, their intentions were neither self-focussed nor self-promoting but strongly mission driven. The identification of physician leader competencies will assist incumbent and emerging physician leaders in their ability to be effective leaders, as well as inform the design of training and development programs for physicians.