Contemporary leadership in healthcare organizations: Fragmented or concurrent leadership

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to gain a deeper understanding of the main contemporary challenges for healthcare leaders in their everyday work practice, and the support they need to master their experienced dilemmas.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative in‐depth interviews (n=52), and focus‐group interviews (n=6) with 31 first‐line and 45 second‐line healthcare leaders are analysed in line with constructivist grounded theory.

Findings

In this paper, two leadership models are proposed for defining and differentiating ways of meeting different logics and demands made on leaders in the healthcare sector. The first model is leadership by separating different logics and fragmentation of time. Here, leaders express a desire for support in defining, structuring, dividing, and allocating tasks. The second model is leadership by integrating different logics and currentness of solutions. In this case, leaders want support in strengthening proactive leadership and shaping the basis for participative employeeship.

Research limitations/implications

This research is designed to describe what people experience rather than to assess the frequency of that experience in the studied settings. However, it would be interesting to elaborate on the findings of this study using other research methodologies.

Practical implications

The findings contribute to contextual knowledge that is of relevance in supporting healthcare leaders. This is helpful in identifying important conditions that support the establishment of leadership and employeeship, leading to improvements in healthcare practice.

Originality/value

The paper describes how contemporary leadership in the healthcare sector is constituted through different strategies for meeting multiple logics.

Citation

Wikström, E. and Dellve, L. (2009), "Contemporary leadership in healthcare organizations: Fragmented or concurrent leadership", Journal of Health Organization and Management, Vol. 23 No. 4, pp. 411-428. https://doi.org/10.1108/14777260910979308