Leadership orientations of hospital pharmacy directors

This research is intended to improve understanding of the leadership orientations of hospital pharmacy directors. The results of the study suggest that these pharmacy directors have not assumed leadership roles within the network of social relationships in the organization. One explanation is that descriptive theories are of little relevance to current practice. Another explanation is that these pharmacy directors are not prepared to value and to be competent at leadership roles. In the absence of measures of effectiveness, these results are difficult to evaluate in terms of the need to cultivate leadership skills in pharmacy directors. Nevertheless, cultivating such skills may be desirable because the pharmacy directors participating in this study perceive that they are less prepared to engage in relationships with people external to the pharmacy department than with members of the department. Enhanced competence would create the potential for higher perceived value and may yield shifts in actual behavior.