Editorial

Citation

Bowerman, J. (2007), "Editorial", Leadership in Health Services, Vol. 20 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/lhs.2007.21120caa.001

Editorial

Welcome to the third edition of Leadership in Health Services as an Emerald publication in its own right. I am beginning to wonder whether we will ever get over this feeling of newness. While it was comfortable being a component of the International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, it certainly seems that we are beginning to attract a much broader span of contributions from around the world now that we are independent. This is of course our goal – to become the kind of journal that attracts people to write about leading initiatives in the health care field. To this end, our recent call for reviewers has been overwhelmingly successful and we have the beginnings of a truly global peer review system within our grasp. This is exciting news as we continue to build and grow.

One of the highlights of this issue is an interview with Brian James, Chief Executive of one of the top performing Health Trusts in the UK. This is one such feature we are hoping to continue in future issues, profiling some of the international senior managers and leaders in this vast field of medical services. Leadership profiles are attractive for a number of reasons. First, they provide important role models for students of leadership and others who may wish to follow in their footsteps. Second, the questions addressed in an interview are an invitation to contribute knowledge and ideas that might normally be tacit and not necessarily in the public domain. Thus, by profiling leaders, the journal more aptly fills its knowledge management mandate as individuals we admire share their achievements, experiences, ideas, and dreams with others. Third, they bring home to us the essentially cultural aspect of the leadership experience.

I know that as a teacher of leadership to MBA students, such profiles as the one here are an extremely enriching addition to our classroom curriculum. They reinforce the fact that everyone’s experience of leadership is unique. For each of us, the variety of our experiences, how we make sense of them, the context of our work, our knowledge and our passions contribute to the leadership role we will play in our lives. Profiles such as this, in providing information on other people’s journeys and their successes become an important resource in this regard.

The articles in this issue are also beginning to reflect some of the key themes in health leadership. One such theme is the way in which leaders contribute to the shaping of work culture. As Williams et al. note in their insightful article about Emergency Department culture, a key modern leadership challenge is to create the kind of work culture that can become a source of competitive advantage through generating particular organizational outcomes valued by stakeholders. Their research suggests that we consider the creation of workplace culture rather like that of implementing a strategic plan, where we knowingly take actions to shape a culture according to the particular outcomes we want to produce.

David Greenfield reminds us that good leadership is always situational. As part of a long-term ethnographic research project involving a health clinic in Australia, the author shows us how Goleman’s leadership typology is useful for improving public health care outcomes. To the extent that leaders can demonstrate different types of leadership behaviours in appropriate situations, it is possible to facilitate a team to realize high levels of collaboration, trust and respect, and thus improve the delivery of health care services by front line staff.

Stina Stellgren et al.’s article studies the extent to which leadership matters in the case of nursing turnover. Using quantitative statistical research methodology, the group of authors assess the extent to which leadership behaviours impact on the ability to attract and retain talented nursing staff. In an age when nurses are in high demand, this is important work.

As much as leadership is a quality or competence in and of itself, it is also a social quality. Lauri Kokkinen reminds us of this in her article, where she assesses the extent to which personnel management and leadership qualities of high-level leaders are demonstrated according to the perceptions of lower level managers who are their direct reports. This research was reminiscent of Hofstede’s classic cultural research where he measures power distance in a society based on the perceptions and value systems of the less powerful towards those with more power. Kokkinen’s research is interesting on a number of levels including differing perceptions of good personnel management based on gender and medical profession.

Finally we must not forget the system on which the medical institution is based. Pan and Pokharel remind us of this in their investigation of logistics in Singapore hospitals. Referencing literature from around the world, they remind us that, in order to function economically, hospital systems need to develop leading-edge partnerships and relationships with suppliers so that they receive the supplies they need when they need them at the least possible cost.

This issue should be of interest to all our readers. Along with articles and leadership profiles, we also include news and views on medical systems from around the world, and even a book review on the political aspects of the diabetes pandemic facing our world. Thanks to all our contributors for this issue. We hope that our articles are beginning to meet the needs of a variety of readers in the health care and leadership field, and that we can continue to address the diverse area of leadership in this every changing and dynamic world of health care.

Jennifer Bowerman