Leadership styles for times of change

A study of Catholic health care executives and their organizations indicates that potential leaders often meet resistance in traditional hospital cultures. Conflict is most likely to result in one of four cultural dimensions: Focus. Do the leader and the organization look outward or inward? Context. Does the culture concentrate on processes or outcomes? Interactions. Does the organization stress teamwork and a "family" approach, which may discourage innovation and creativity? Time. How quickly is the organization able to move into the future? Although the executives reported using a variety of strategies to overcome cultural resistance, the most effective leaders tended to share certain characteristics, including the abilities to articulate their vision of the future, to assimilate new--and often contradictory--information, and to accurately anticipate trends. They were adept at "playing the system" to meet their objectives and enjoyed using their power. They also tended to closely control the organization's information sources, were unlikely to rely on assumptions about how people should behave, and could shift their communication styles to suit individual subcultures.