A Framework for Leadership in Organizational Development: A Novel Approach for Advancing Women Administrative and Faculty Leaders in Academic Medicine.

Abstract

Introduction: Despite achieving gender parity among medical and graduate students, women remain underrepresented in academic medical center leadership. This highlights a need for inclusive leadership development programs which impact both individuals and the organization. In response, we developed and evaluated a novel, comprehensive, and collaborative training designed for both mid-career to senior faculty and administrative leaders which addresses leader development and institutional culture.

Methods: A novel 18-month program for faculty and administrative leaders which includes 14 days of immersive workshops, a 360° assessment, personalized executive coaching, and an institutional group project was implemented and evaluated. Pre- and post-program assessments were analyzed using factor analysis to create seven composite scales defining various aspects of leadership competencies. Analysis of survey data used a t-test to determine significantly different scores pre- and post-test for each composite measure.

Results: Participants in this intensive program reported increased agreement with skill development across all competencies except for personal growth, where there was no statistically significant increase, and increased expectations about the program's ability to enhance recognition, visibility, and opportunities to impress institutional leadership. Over 80% of participants in a five-year follow-up survey found the program beneficial for leadership development, and half of the participants felt the program influenced their decision to stay at their institution long-term. Ninety-four percent of faculty received promotions or new leadership roles within eight years.

Discussion: Determining the impact of leadership programming is difficult but institutional immersive leadership programs have demonstrated significant impact through the advancement of core leadership competencies, faculty and administrative staff promotion, and long-lasting collaborations across the academic medical center. Future comparative studies are needed to look across institutions to determine which elements of the program are most effective.