Measuring distributed leadership agency in a hospital context: Development and validation of a new scale
Journal of Health Organization and Management
ISSN: 1477-7266
Article publication date: 19 September 2016
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop and validate an instrument that can measure distributed leadership (DL) as employees’ active participation in DL tasks. The authors designate this as the distributed leadership agency (DLA).
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected throughout all departments and occupational groups at a merged centralized hospital setting in Denmark. A total of 1,774 employees from 24 hospital departments and 16 occupational groups completed our survey. Structural equation model and confirmatory factor analyses were applied to identify appropriate items and a test for measurement invariance, predictive, discriminant and convergent validity, and ANOVAs were applied to analyse group differences in DLA.
Findings
The identified unidimensional questionnaire consists of seven items, as it is different from, but associated with, empowering leadership, organizational influence, attitude to participation and trust in management. As theoretically predicted, DLA is positively related to self-efficacy, job satisfaction and innovative behaviour. Chief physicians, permanent employees and employee representatives scored higher on the scale than the rest of their respective counterparts.
Practical implications
The survey offers a method to assess a distribution of leadership agency in hospital organizations. Such assessment may provide a basis for organizational and leadership development.
Originality/value
The present study provides a reliable and valid quantitative instrument that measures how much employees at all hierarchical levels are involved in concrete leadership activities in the hospital context. Taking a normative perspective the authors could show that DL – measured with the DLA-questionnaire – has positive effects on employees’ behaviour.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The project has been supported by the Velux Foundation, Denmark on mergers and innovation of hospital areas that fund the project that has provided the basis for the study.
Citation
Jønsson, T., Unterrainer, C., Jeppesen, H.-J. and Jain, A.K. (2016), "Measuring distributed leadership agency in a hospital context: Development and validation of a new scale", Journal of Health Organization and Management, Vol. 30 No. 6, pp. 908-926. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHOM-05-2015-0068
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited