Importance: Current hospital leaders struggle to find leadership style which is beneficial and suitable to face the challenges present in the organization. Limited literature and lack of evidence on leadership styles related to the hospital and healthcare industry leave them directionless. Scarcity of training from the leadership point of view and lack of leadership models and lack of evidence on ‘which leadership style is most suitable and beneficial’ in the hospital industry, especially in the Indian context, increase the need for the current study.
Objective: To understand and compare the leadership styles adopted by the top and middle level leaders from the hospital and hotel industry.
Methodology: Quantitative study design, that is, survey, was used in this study. Survey tool consisted of structure items on 10 leadership styles with five-point Likert scale. A total of 41 top and middle level leaders from hospital and hotel industry participated in this study.
Results: The study addressed issues pertaining to leadership, suggesting a paradigm change in hospital industry in relation to leadership style. Results showed that male leaders dominated the top and middle level leadership positions in both industries. Hospital leaders were older and more qualified and experienced as compared to those in hotel industry. Leaders reported using all 10 leadership styles from low to high levels. As each leadership style has its own strengths and weaknesses, adopting a combination of multiple leadership styles as per the need strengthens the overall output.
Conclusion: Mixed leadership style needs to be adopted by the hospital leaders.
AhnM. J.AdamsonJ. S. A.DornbuschD. (2004). From leaders to leadership managing change. The Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 10(4), 112–123.
2.
American College of Healthcare Executives. (1997). Closing the gender gap in healthcare management. CEO Circle White Paper. Chicago, IL: American College of Healthcare Executives.
3.
American College of Healthcare Executives. (2006). A comparison of the career attainment of men and women healthcare executives. Executive summary (Revision 2, pp. 1–64). Retrieved from www.ache.org
4.
American College of Healthcare Executives. (2012). A comparison of the career attainments of men and women healthcare executives. Division of member services, Research (pp. 1–73). Chicago, IL: American College of Healthcare Executives.
5.
ArabM.TajvarM.AkbariF. (2006). Selection an appropriate leadership style to direct hospital manpower. Iranian Journal of Public Health, 35(3), 64–69.
6.
ChiabottiD. J. (2006). The effect of leadership style of nursing home administrators on quality of care: An exploratory study in Minnesota (PhD dissertation). Minneapolis, MN: Capella University.
7.
HartleyJ.HinksmanB. (2003). Leadership development: A systematic review of the literature (pp. 1–77). A report for the NHS Leadership Centre. Coventry: Warwick Institute of Governance and Public Management, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick.
8.
HeeverM.VanD. (2009). An ideal leadership style for unit managers in intensive care units of private health care institutions (Masters dissertation). South Africa: Stellenbosch University.
9.
HillerN. J.DeChurchL. A.MuraseT.DotyD. (2011). Searching for outcomes of leadership: A 25-year review. Journal of Management, 37(4), 1137–1177.
10.
JanssenL. T. (2004). Leadership characteristics of hospital CEOs: Factors that influence leadership style (Doctoral dissertation). Des Moines, IA: Drake University.
11.
JoshiB. (2015). Exploring leadership styles adopted by top and middle level leaders from the hospital industry in Pune city (PhD dissertation, Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University). Retrieved from http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in:8080/jspui/handle/10603/134826
12.
JoshiB. (2017a). Time to adopt mixed leadership style. Asian Journal of Research in Business Economics and Management, 7(8), 52–68. DOI:10.5958/2249-7307.2017.00129.3
13.
JoshiB. (2017b). Are hospital leaders trained enough to be leaders?Journal Academy of Hospital Administration, 29(1), 24–31.
14.
JoshiB.BharuchaE. (2015). Glass ceiling and Indian hospital leadership: A literature review. International Journal of Current Research, 7(10), 21878–21882.
15.
NurseE. W. (2010). A comparative analysis of the relationship between CEOs’ leadership style and healthcare organizational viability (PhD dissertation). Phoenix, AZ: University of Phoenix.
16.
SnaebjornssonI. M.EdvardssonI. R. (2013). Gender, nationality and leadership style: A literature review. International Journal of Business & Management, 8(1), 89–103.
17.
StrohmeierB. R. (1998). Achieving effective technical leadership in today’s R&D organizations. The Journal of Leadership Studies, 5(1), 27–37.
18.
WhitingC. C. (2005). Intuitive decision making and leadership style among healthcare executives in the United States (PhD dissertation). Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University.
19.
XirasagarS.SamuelsM. E. (2006). Management training of physician executives, their leadership style, and care management performance: An empirical study. The American Journal of Managed Care, 12(2), 101–108.
20.
YuH.-C.MillerP. (2005). Leadership style: The X generation and baby boomers compared in different cultural contexts. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 26(1), 35–50.
