Leadership development in health care in low and middle-income countries: Is there another way?

Leadership and management capacity is an important factor in the health care systems of low and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to resource scarcity and a high burden of disease. The paper identifies the key concerns of health care policy-makers and health care leaders and managers in LMICs and, in the case of the latter, what is led and managed. It examines the two major education and training approaches adopted to develop such capacity and the cultural context against which development takes place, noting that leadership and management development in LMICs needs to reflect local cultures. From this consideration, it is proposed that action learning (which already has a track-record of application in LMICs) would be a practical way forward.