Running head: LEADERSHIP STYLES IN HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS

Leadership Styles in Healthcare Organizations

Student's Name

Institutional Affiliation
LEADERSHIP STYLES IN HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS 2

Abstract

Today, healthcare organizations experience challenges in dealing with dynamic client

demands and expectations, fiscal constraints, quality maximization, and workplace challenges.

However, leadership is recognized as an essential skill in addressing emerging challenges in

healthcare organizations. Leadership skills facilitate nurturing positive workplace culture, which

creates a continuous improvement of compassionate, safe, and high-quality healthcare services.

In healthcare organizations, effective leadership facilitates the efficient delivery of high-quality

and safe care to patients. Therefore, healthcare professionals are expected to identify and

implement relevant leadership styles in their practice. Leadership in the healthcare sector

stretches across the clinical workforce and management. Recognition of different leadership

styles enables healthcare professionals to lead change, improve relationships with their subjects

and colleagues, solve complex problems, and make critical decisions.

In this study, a literature review was conducted to describe the characteristics of effective

leaders in healthcare organizations. The literature review also explored the impact of a specific

leadership style on employee productivity and patient’s welfare. The leadership styles studies

included resonant, task-oriented, formal, hands-on leadership, laissez-faire leadership, and

transactional leadership styles. Furthermore, the study explored different factors inhibiting

leadership development in healthcare organizational workplaces. Finally, different strategies for

addressing barriers to leadership development were identified. Addressing these barriers ensures

that organizations accomplish long-term goals of employee satisfaction, profitability, and client

satisfaction.

The study evidenced a positive correlation between effective leadership and high-quality

services. The study also indicated that effective leadership supports integrative care in healthcare
LEADERSHIP STYLES IN HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS 3

organizations. Furthermore, the gathered evidence indicated that a positive relationship exists

between healthcare quality and good leadership styles. For instance, hands-on leadership

improves healthcare safety and quality. Safety and quality improvement is evidenced by equity,

reduced mortality rate, and improved patient satisfaction. The transformational leadership style

has a positive impact on organizational culture, while the transactional style has minimal impact.

Finally, a negative correlation was observed between laissez-faire leadership and organizational

culture. Hence, leadership appeared as a core element of integrated and well-coordinated care.
LEADERSHIP STYLES IN HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS 4

References

Ayeleke, R. O., Dunham, A., North, N., & Wallis, K. (2018). The Concept of Leadership in the

Health Care Sector. Leadership, 83-95. https://doi: 10.5772/intechopen.76133

Daly, J., Jackson, D., Mannix, J., Davidson, P. M., & Hutchinson, M. (2014). The importance of

clinical leadership in the hospital setting. Journal of Healthcare Leadership, 75-83.

https://doi.org/10.2147/JHL.S46161

Sfantou, D. F., Laliotis, A., Patelarou, A. E., Sifaki- Pistolla, D., Matalliotakis, M., & Patelarou,

E. (2017). Importance of Leadership Style towards Quality of Care Measures in

Healthcare Settings: A Systematic Review. In Healthcare, 5(4), 73. https://doi:

10.3390/healthcare5040073