Leadership Development in Health Care: The Role of Clinical Leaders

Aim: This paper presents evidence on the impact of leadership development programmes on developing key competencies of clinical leaders in the European Health Sector. Methods: An International Leadership Development Programme has been used as a pilot to assess effectiveness on skills development and leadership styles. A longitudinal pre and post-test design was used, with a sample of clinical professionals attending the programme within three years. A control group provided a method of isolating the impact of the programme. Results: We found that participation in health leadership programmes has a positive impact on health professionals’ leadership potential; leadership styles and talent management. However, leadership qualities are also influenced by other factors such as national and organisational culture, structure and team dynamics. Conclusion: The European cases presented in this paper reveal that the higher the contribution of clinicians in management roles, governance, and administration is, the more efficient and productive their healthcare systems become.