Reflections on a leadership development program: Impacts on culture in a surgical environment

Although a growing body of literature has focused on the impacts leadership development programs have had on the individual surgeon, little effort has been focused on understanding the impacts these programs have had on surgical culture. The purpose of this study was to explore the impacts of implementing a leadership development program on the culture of the Department of Surgery at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Qualitative interviews were conducted with 14 surgery faculty in the first cohort of a leadership development program at University of Michigan. Using NVivo (version 11.4.3; QSR International, Melbourne, Australia), thematic analysis was used to locate, analyze, and report patterns within the data.

Thematic analysis demonstrated that participation in a leadership development program influenced surgical culture in the following ways: (1) promoted a more participative leadership style, providing tools for surgeons to create a more collaborative environment; (2) increased the culture of diversity, with leaders in the department valuing a more inclusive and wide range of skill sets; and (3) strengthened the collegial environment as evidenced by improved morale and relationships within the department. In addition, several participants expressed difficulty in teasing out what was a direct benefit of a leadership development program versus what could be attributable to other factors, referred to here as the chicken or egg argument.

Almost all participants expressed experiencing at least some change that they believed was related to the leadership development program. This research may provide insight into the broader implications that programs like these have on surgical culture.