Validation of the extended version of the Implementation Leadership Scale (ILS-X)

Area of Science:

• Implementation Science
• Organizational Psychology
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Organizational factors significantly influence implementation processes.
• Measures of implementation leadership, like the original Implementation Leadership Scale (ILS), are crucial for understanding effectiveness.
• Extended dimensions of implementation leadership have been identified in educational settings, prompting further validation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the extended Implementation Leadership Scale (ILS-X) in behavioral health settings.
• To assess the psychometric properties of the ILS-X for measuring comprehensive implementation leadership behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Utilized baseline data from 389 providers across 68 behavioral health clinics in two implementation trials.
• Administered the 21-item ILS-X, assessing seven dimensions of implementation leadership.
• Conducted analyses for internal consistency reliability, interrater reliability and agreement, factor structure, and construct validity.

Main Results:

• The ILS-X demonstrated strong performance across all psychometric criteria.
• A second-order confirmatory factor model showed good fit with high factor loadings.
• Correlations with other clinic-level measures supported the construct validity of the ILS-X.

Conclusions:

• The ILS-X provides a reliable method for assessing a broader range of implementation leadership behaviors than the original ILS.
• This extended measure is valuable for identifying leadership strengths and areas for development in implementation initiatives.
• The ILS-X supports future research and practice in implementation science within behavioral health.