The Impact of Leadership Program Formatting on Perceived Development Within Pharmacy Cohorts

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy education
• Leadership development
• Organizational psychology

Background:

• Leadership development programs are crucial for professional growth.
• Variable program formats may influence participant outcomes.
• Assessing perceived growth is key to program evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the impact of different leadership development program formats on perceived participant growth.
• To evaluate leadership development within national and single-institution cohorts.
• To analyze differences in perceived benefits based on program structure.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study of two leadership development programs (national vs. single-institution) in 2020.
• Utilized virtual leadership development tools from GiANT Worldwide.
• Employed a 17-question pre- and postsurvey based on the Emotional Intelligence Leadership Inventory, with descriptive and inferential statistical analysis.

Main Results:

• Both cohorts showed significant perceived growth, with higher overall changes in the single-institution cohort.
• The national cohort exhibited greater diversity in age, ethnicity, and education.
• Qualitative data indicated more emotional intelligence references in the national cohort, despite a slight decrease in self-improvement drive.

Conclusions:

• Longitudinal leadership development programs foster perceived participant improvement.
• The format of the leadership development program cohort influences the extent of perceived benefits.
• Further research is needed to validate assessment tools and explore specific leadership domains.