Leadership set-up: wishful thinking or reality?

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Organizational Behavior
• Medical Sociology

Background:

• Effective leadership structures are essential for fostering interdisciplinary cooperation in hospitals.
• Understanding the factors influencing leader legitimacy is critical for successful healthcare management.
• Previous research has explored various leadership models, but their impact on cooperation and legitimacy requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of different leadership setups on interdisciplinary cooperation within Danish hospitals.
• To determine the relationship between leadership structures and the legitimacy of leaders among healthcare staff.
• To identify factors influencing leader legitimacy in a multi-professional healthcare environment.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative research design was employed.
• Data were collected through semi-structured interviews.
• The study was conducted across three Danish hospital settings.

Main Results:

• Leadership setup did not demonstrably influence the high degree of interdisciplinary cooperation observed across all wards.
• A significant relationship was identified between leadership setup and leader legitimacy.
• Leader legitimacy was strongest when staff referred to a leader from their own profession; legitimacy was limited across professional groups when dual leadership existed.
• Clinical specialty was also found to influence leader legitimacy.

Conclusions:

• Leadership setup is not the primary driver of interdisciplinary cooperation; leader legitimacy plays a vital role.
• Establishing leader legitimacy is complex and cannot be assumed, particularly in cross-professional leadership scenarios.
• Healthcare leaders and policymakers should prioritize strategies for building leader legitimacy when implementing new leadership structures, especially in diverse professional teams.