Leadership frames and perceptions of effectiveness among health information management program directors

Leadership is important to health science education. For program effectiveness, directors should possess leadership skills to appropriately lead and manage their departments. Therefore, it is important to explore the leadership styles of programs' leaders as health science education is undergoing reform. Program directors of two and four-year health information management programs were surveyed to determine leadership styles. The study examined leadership styles or frames, the number of leadership frames employed by directors, and the relationship between leadership frames and their perceptions of their effectiveness as a manager and as a leader. The study shows that program directors are confident of their human resource and structural skills and less sure of the political and symbolic skills required of leaders. These skills in turn are correlated with their self-perceived effectiveness as managers and leaders. Findings from the study may assist program directors in their career development and expansion of health information management programs as a discipline within the health science field. As academic health centers receive greater pressure from the Institute of Medicine and accrediting agencies to reform health science education, the question of leadership arises. These centers have taken a leadership role in reforming health professional education by partnering with educational institutions to improve the health of communities. To achieve health education reform, health sciences educators must apply effective leadership skills.1 College and university leadership is challenged on how to best approach educational reform across health science fields. This article discusses leadership styles employed by program directors of one health science department, health information management, in directing programs for health science education reform.