Validation of the Implementation Leadership Scale (ILS) in Substance use Disorder Treatment Organizations

Abstract

There have been recent calls for pragmatic measures to assess factors that influence evidence-based practice (EBP) implementation processes and outcomes. The Implementation Leadership Scale (ILS) is a brief and efficient measure that can be used for research or organizational development purposes to assess leader behaviors and actions that actively support effective EBP implementation. The ILS was developed and validated in mental health settings. This study validates the ILS factor structure with providers in alcohol and other drug (AOD) use treatment agencies. Participants were 323 service providers working in 72 workgroups from three AOD use treatment agencies. Confirmatory factor analyses and reliability analyses were conducted to examine the psychometric properties of the ILS. Convergent and discriminant validity were also assessed. Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated good fit to the hypothesized first and second order factor structure. Internal consistency reliability was excellent. Convergent and discriminant validity was supported. The ILS psychometric characteristics, reliability, and validity were supported in AOD use treatment agencies. The ILS is a brief and pragmatic measure that can be used for research and practice to assess leadership for EBP implementation in AOD use treatment agencies.

EBP Implementation Leadership of Frontline Nurse Managers: Validation of the Implementation Leadership Scale in Acute Care

“…Overall, the strength of these findings is noteworthy given that data were collected independently, by two different investigative teams, in very different geographic areas of the U.S., and with broadly different nurse demographics. Our results contribute to the strong record of the scale’s validity and reliability in other contexts (Aarons et al, ; Aarons et al, ; Finn et al, ; Lyon et al, ; Torres et al, ).…”

“…The scale focuses on specific leadership behaviors enacted by frontline managers to influence implementation, including: (a) proactive leadership; (b) knowledgeable leadership; (c) supportive leadership; and (d) perseverant leadership. The ILS, originally developed and tested in mental health settings, has been cross‐validated in substance use facilities (Aarons, Ehrhart, Torres, Finn, & Roesch, ), child welfare service organizations (Finn, Torres, Ehrhart, Roesch, & Aarons, ), and education sectors (Lyon et al, ). However, it has yet to be validated for use in nursing contexts.…”

Translation and linguistic validation of the implementation leadership scale in Chinese nursing context

“…The ILS has been validated in mental health clinics with clinicians (Cronbach’s alpha 0.98), alcohol and drug use treatment agencies with counsellors (Cronbach’s alpha 0.97), and child welfare services with social workers and other allied health professionals (Cronbach’s alpha 0.97) (Aarons et al, ; Aarons, Ehrhart, Torres, Finn, & Roesch, ; Finn, Torres, Ehrhart, Roesch, & Aarons, ). It has shown to be an efficient and pragmatic scale for capturing leadership behaviours with which to implement EBP (Aarons et al, ). However, these studies were all conducted in the English language in United States of America, and it is unclear how ILS items and constructs would be interpreted and understood in Chinese settings.…”

Testing the leadership and organizational change for implementation (LOCI) intervention in substance abuse treatment: a cluster randomized trial study protocol

“…The Implementation Leadership Scale assessing these dimensions has been validated for use in SUDT [29]. LOCI utilizes both FRL and implementation leadership as complementary leader skills and behaviors that can be utilized to help to develop a positive EBP implementation climate [13, 30, 31].…”