Defining Types of Leadership Within an Academic Surgery Department to Promote Change for Decreasing Rates of Burnout

Area of Science:

• Leadership studies in healthcare
• Surgical team dynamics
• Organizational psychology in medicine

Background:

• Effective leadership is crucial for successful surgical care.
• Surgical providers often lack awareness of their individual leadership strengths.
• Leveraging team strengths can improve performance and engagement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify dominant leadership types within a surgical department.
• To inform strategies for cultivating and utilizing provider strengths.
• To enhance understanding of leadership climates in surgery.

Main Methods:

• 172 providers in an academic surgery department participated.
• The Gallup™ CliftonStrengths assessment was administered.
• The assessment identifies top strengths and primary leadership domains.

Main Results:

• 127 providers (74%) completed the assessment.
• The most common primary leadership domain was 'Executing' (implementing ideas).
• Formal leaders were more likely to 'lead with' Strategic Thinking; no differences between physicians and APPs.

Conclusions:

• A majority of surgical providers utilize 'Executing' as their primary leadership domain.
• Recognizing and leveraging provider strengths can improve team cohesion and efficiency.
• Understanding leadership profiles may enhance engagement and retention in surgical teams.