Leadership

Strong leadership and management skills are crucial to finding solutions to the human resource crisis in health. Health professionals and human resource (HR) managers worldwide who are in charge of addressing HR challenges in health systems often lack formal education in leadership and management. The Virtual Leadership Development Program is a web-based leadership development program that combines face-to-face and distance learning methodologies to strengthen the capacity of teams to identify and address health challenges and produce results. [adapted from abstract]

This article profiles three leaders from Afghanistan, South Africa, and Southern Sudan who have made a significant difference in those countries’ HR situations. By taking a comprehensive approach and working in partnership with stakeholders, these leaders demonstrate that strengthening health workforce planning, management, and training can have a positive effect on the performance of the health sector. [from author]

This version of Voices discusses the Capacity Project’s work with the Ministry of Health in Southern Sudan to strengthen its ability to plan for and manage the health workforce. [adapted from author]

The article presents a successful application in Mozambique of a leadership development program created by Management Sciences for Health. [from abstract]

Despite rising attention to the acute shortage of health care workers, solutions to the human resource crisis are difficult to achieve, especially in the poorest countries. Although we are aware of the issues and have developed HR strategies, the problem is that some old systems of leading and managing human resources for health do not work in today's context. In these cases and others, a more appropriate mode of leadership, linked to reforming management systems and committed to moving beyond planning to implementation, is essential to the solution. [from abstract]

This presentation was given at the First Forum on Human Resources for Health in Kampala. It defines health leadership and management, why strengthening it is important, the lessons learned so far, and the main components and uses of the WHO framework. [adapted from author]

This presentation was given at the First Forum on Human Resources for Health in Kampala. It discusses the need for scaled-up management and leadership training to equip healthcare professionals with the skills, experience and knowledge to manage health programs effectively and how private sector approaches to this challege offer a strategic resource to improve the management and output of health systems. [adapted from author]

This document asks how leadership contributes to measurable changes in organizational performance and how to evaluate the outcomes of leadership development programs in developing countries.

This course will build the skills of those who are in a position to support change agents in health service delivery. The course focus is on changes in clinical practices, behavioral practices of providers, and management practices at service delivery sites. [adapted from author]

The purpose and objectives of this study are to examine the extent to which the manager’s span of control influences nurse, patient, and unit outcomes; and investigate which particular leadership style contributes to optimum nurse, patient, and unit outcomes under differing spans of control. [author’s description]

The main purpose of this chapter of “Human Resources for Health in Europe” is to develop a dynamic and unified framework for describing and analysing the role of the health care manager in a changing Europe. The chapter also attempts to combine the construction of this theoretical model with its application, drawing on empirical work in different European countries to illustrate the challenges and opportunities arising from the various elements of health care reform. [from introduction]

This report is based on deliberations from an international consultation on strengthening leadership and management as an essential component to scaling health services to reach the Millennium Development Goals. The focus was on low-income countries though the principles discussed concerned leadership and management in other settings as well. The report describes a technical framework adopted by the consultation for approaching management development and sets out key principles for sustained and effective capacity building. [author’s description]

Achieving the health Millennium Development Goals will require a significant scaling up of health service delivery in many countries. The number of competent managers will also have to be scaled up at the same time – managers are an essential resource for ensuring that priority needs are met and resources are used effectively. This study describes various management strengthening activities in 3 countries – South Africa, Togo and Uganda. [from executive summary]

As labor shortages intensify, succession planning and leadership development have become strategic initiatives requiring rigorous consideration. Traditional methods of replacing personnel will not accommodate the vacancies expected to plague healthcare organizations. Managers should focus on identifying potential gaps of key personnel and adapting programs to accommodate organizational need. Attention should be placed on capturing the intellectual capital existent in the organization and developing diverse groups of leadership candidates. [executive summary]

Population-based healthcare has become the focus of healthcare services around the world so there is an ever-increasing need to train and support nurse managers who can led and nurture nurses as they work towards providing optimum levels of satisfaction and safety in the care they give to their patients. [abstract]

Training managers within hospitals and health services do not just rely on transmitting packets of knowledge in a formal setting. This article argues that successful training should contain an emotional element to ensure engagement with the message. Immersion in real life circumstances is also important and leaders must develop training around shared objectives and team building. [abstract]

This presentation focuses on the work MSH has done in Nicaragua, where leadership has been used as the key to address many of the challenges faced by the health sector, using a systems approach. [author’s description]

To view this presentation, you must have either Microsoft PowerPoint or download the free PowerPoint Viewer.

This best practice guideline aims to identify and describe: leadership practices that result in healthy outcomes for nurses, patients/clients, organizations and systems; system resources that support effective leadership practices; organizational culture, values and resources that support effective leadership practices; personal resources that support effective leadership practices; and anticipated outcomes of effective nursing leadership. [author’s description]

This presentation is part of the MAQ Exchange and discusses leadership as enabling groups of people to make progress in complex conditions. It states that leadership is helping groups of people to identify their critical challenges, and mobilizing them to learn and take effective action. What about those leaders in our midst, those people who enable groups to make progress at the local and district levels. This presentation is a report of findings about “everyday leaders,” those who lead others everyday, in difficult conditions. [adapted from speaker notes]

This issue of The Manager considers strategy and process for managing a leadership transition. It describes how current leaders, staff members, and boards of directors can engage their organization in navigating the uncertainties of a search for a new leader. It explores ways to prepare for future transitions by developing leadership talents within the organization. [editor’s description]

This issue is accompanied by a case study, “Better Health: Plans for Leadership Transition.”

This issue of The Manager shows how health managers, though faced with multiple challenges of decentralization, can redefine their roles and responsibilities to better support both the people they serve and the staff at management levels closest to the population. It shows how health managers can adopt leadership practices to carry out their new roles and ultimately make decentralization work. [editor’s description]

Nurses have assumed management positions in many health institutions. To properly accomplish the demands of this role, it is important that they be competent in both management and leadership. For appropriate performance, knowledge of management and supervision styles is a priority. Therefore, the goal of this investigation is to identify the nurse manager’s knowledge regarding management and leadership.

The objective of this study was to examine associations between management training of physician executives and their leadership styles, as well as effectiveness in achieving disease management goals. [author’s description]

Today, shifting demographics and values require new models of leadership. A significant percentage of those entering family medicine are female. Male and female physicians alike are expressing greater interest in balancing work with other important parts of their lives. Models of leadership are shifting from top-down to side-by-side. Even the doctor-patient relationship is transforming, with an emphasis on collaboration and shared decision making. [adapted from author’s description]

This short documentary film chronicles the four year journey, initially funded by USAID’s Office of Population, that the governorate of Aswan, Egypt embarked upon to develop greater leadership within all levels of its health care staff. The video shows an innovative process that develops leaders at all levels, including the front lines of health care, to identify challenges and work in teams to overcome obstacles and achieve service improvements.

As the complexity of the challenges facing the public health workforce has increased, many have argued that insufficient resources have been devoted to the preparation of the workforce, including its leaders. Here we describe the growth of national advocacy for public health leadership and workforce development.

This publication is an effort to respond to the different needs for capacity building in management and implementation of health programmes and delivery of essential services. It reflects the thinking acquired from experience working with health sector reforms being implemented in the African Region. The District Health Management Training modules cover the principles that are applicable across the Region and are meant to guide and strengthen the management capacity of district health management teams. [author’s description]

This presentation is from a Capacity Project sponsored interactive workshop to consider fresh perspectives on supportive supervision, exploring alternative approaches to the standard visiting-supervisor model from within and outside the international health care sector. The presentation discusses a leadership approach to supervision.

To view this presentation, you must have either Microsoft PowerPoint or download the free PowerPoint Viewer.

Stronger pre-service education and in-service training systems for health workers are essential to meet the increasing need for quality services. To support efforts to improve health worker education and training systems, the Capacity Project has assembled a collection of resources that can be used for reference and adaptation. While the Capacity Project does not endorse any particular document or approach represented in these resources, they were selected by Project staff with expertise in the content areas. [author’s description]

The long-term objective of this paper is to galvanize action to ensure that all current and future health managers are well prepared to lead and manage to achieve results. With good preparation, they will be able to develop and manage the kind of health services that achieve health goals, reduce illness, and save lives. [author’s description]