Developing Organizational Leadership Capacities in Preparation for a Major Transition in Healthcare

Abstract

The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and its hospitals have provided healthcare since the 19th century for the people of Montreal, the province of Quebec and beyond. Recently, its facilities were upgraded through renovations and, in 2015, the opening of a new state-of-the-art centre. Clinical priorities were revised and services streamlined, based on the organization’s mandate as a teaching and research hospital. To prepare for this transformation, the MUHC piloted a year-long program aimed at developing clinical managers’ leadership capacities. The aim of my study was to evaluate the program’s effectiveness: How did the recently implemented MUHC Healthcare Leadership Program and other strategies enhance leadership capabilities among clinical managers, as defined by the LEADS in a Caring Environment framework? The twenty-two study participants were managers or emerging leaders enrolled in the Program. I used a longitudinal approach, collecting both qualitative and quantitative data to conduct a developmental evaluation of the Program during the pilot year (2013), and Kirkpatrick’s framework to examine the Program’s outcomes. The study demonstrated that the Program met the goals to increase leadership capabilities, improve attitudes towards resolving challenges, create networks, and better equip participants to handle the upcoming transition. Participants identified the development of a strong support network of colleagues, encouraged by the Program, as being key to their resiliency and learning capacity. Clinical managers contribute substantially to healthcare teams and the evaluation of initiatives to support leadership development should continue to be a focus of inquiry. This study contributes to the knowledge of how organizations increase capacity for leadership development of healthcare managers and emerging leaders.