Leadership development in Africa: A focus on strengths

Eckert, Regina; Rweyongoza, Simon

doi:10.35613/ccl.2010.1023

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Notably however, while efforts to clarify the role of governance in health systems have increased in recent years (Brinkerhoff 2004;Siddiqi et al 2009;Smith et al 2012), the role of leadership in this context remains considerably more contested and ambiguous (Goodwin 2000). In sub-Saharan Africa, the region that most urgently needs to bolster its health systems capacity, there is a conspicuous lack of systematic academic inquiry into leadership in the continent's diverse health systems and the notion of healthcare leadership remains ill defined and poorly understood (Eckert and Rweyongoza 2010). As such, this study set out to make an initial contribution to the nascent work on leadership in health policy and systems research (HPSR) through a case study in The Gambia, West Africa.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of leadership in people-centred health systems: a sub-national study in The Gambia

Chigudu

Jasseh

D’Alessandro

et al. 2014

Health Policy and Planning

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Recently, increasing attention has been given to behavioural and relational aspects of the people who both define and shape health systems, placing them at the core. A growing refrain includes the assertion that important decisions determining health system performance, including agenda setting, policy formulation and policy implementation, are made by people. Within this actor-oriented approach, good leadership has been identified as a key contributing factor in health systems strengthening. However, leadership remains ill-defined and under-researched, especially in resource-limited settings, and understanding the links between leadership and health outcomes remains a challenge. We explore the concept and practice of healthcare leadership at sub-national level in a low-income country setting, using a people-centric research methodology. In June and July 2013, 15 in-depth interviews were conducted with key informants in formal healthcare leadership roles across urban, peri-urban and rural settings of The Gambia, West Africa. Participants included the entire spectrum of Regional Health Team (RHT) Directors and Chief Executive Officers of all government hospitals, as well as one clinical officer-in-charge in a secondary-level major health centre. We found reference to several important aspects of, and approaches to, leadership, including (i) setting a clear vision; (ii) engendering shared leadership; and (iii) paying attention to human relations in management. Participants described attending to constituencies in government, international development agencies and civil society, as well as to the populations they serve. By illuminating the multi-polar networks within which these leaders are embedded, and through which they operate, we provide insight into the complex 'organizational ecology' of the Gambian health system. There is a need to further research and develop healthcare leadership across all levels, within various political, socio-economic and cultural contexts, in order to better work with a range of health actors and to engage them in identifying and acting upon opportunities for health systems strengthening.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of leadership in people-centred health systems: a sub-national study in The Gambia

Chigudu

Jasseh

D’Alessandro

et al. 2014

Health Policy and Planning

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“…The study also discovered that consciously commencing trainings on good leadership culture in organisations, home and in schools will enhance good leadership manifestations. No doubt, the exigency for effective leadership is high in Ghana and Africa but talented leaders are bereft of the necessary support systems including capacity development to reach their full potentials (Eckert and Rweyongoza, 2015). In the light of this, knowledge acquisition involving equipping leaders and would-be-leaders with the skills, values, and arts of leading at home and in formal training institutions is necessary and unavoidable.…”

Section: Sense Making Of Constructive Organisational Leadershipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Society and organizational leadership: Investigating the sociocultural construction of toxic and constructive leaders in Ghana

Ibrahim,

Abdulai,

Iddrisu

et al. 2024

Int'l Jnl of Cross Cultural Management

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Toxic leadership phenomenon persists in many institutions at the expense of organisational progress and performance. This article explores the centrality of sociocultural values in leadership formation in Ghanaian organisations. Through the lens of the constructivist paradigm and ethnomethodology research design, fifteen (15) in-depth interviews were analysed. The study revealed that society’s underlying sociocultural values systems fundamentally impact the construction of toxic organisational leaders through complicity and condoning malpractice, impertinence to time, and nonchalance towards leaders’ toxic behaviours. Context, in this regard, has an inbred role in making a leader either toxic or constructive. Society and its organisational setups must positively impact the co-creation of constructive leadership by nurturing values that demand leadership accountability and reward constructive leadership for its significant impact in engendering organisational progress.

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“…The results of this study have practical value for future research, as they confirm the importance of obtaining funding to explore and develop a leadership programme to be offered in a health faculty. Heads of departments in health faculties could also form a forum that engages on how to lead others and continuously enhance their skills to meet the needs of an ever-changing environment (Eckert and Rweyongoza, 2010). Further research should be conducted on the effectiveness of leadership succession programmes in academic environments, the self-leadership activities of academic leaders in research and teaching domains, and leadership styles needed to influence the new generation towards a common vision.…”

Section: Conclusion and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It could be argued that leadership development is a process that extends over many years, and that most academic leaders in the past have 'learned on the job' (Detsky, 2011: 88), rather than being selected for their leadership skills. Leadership development is furthermore a national priority in the South African context (Eckert and Rweyongoza, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges of academic healthcare leaders in a higher education context in South Africa

Jooste¹,

Frantz²,

Waggie³

2017

Educational Management Administration & Leadership

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Universities are in a highly competitive environment, needing strong academic leadership. Some heads of departments have been appointed into leadership positions in a healthcare faculty after having been mere academics for a few years. They are more likely to experience challenges. This study aimed to explore the views and understanding of heads of departments in a healthcare faculty on being appointed as academic leaders in a higher education context in South Africa. A qualitative design using 12 individual unstructured interviews was conducted with all the heads of departments in a health sciences faculty. Open coding was conducted and two themes emerged, focusing on the varied skills needed for academic leadership positions and developing leadership skills amongst senior academics. The findings indicated that development of senior academics in leadership should be undertaken by a knowledgeable professional in formal or informal settings, to encourage mentorship and more regular group meetings, while addressing the core role of a leader. Implications of these findings for a faculty of health sciences and suggestions for leadership succession in future are discussed.

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Leadership development in Africa: A focus on strengths

Abstract: Center for Creative Leadership ® and CCL ® are registered trademarks owned by the Center for Creative Leadership.

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

The role of leadership in people-centred health systems: a sub-national study in The Gambia

The role of leadership in people-centred health systems: a sub-national study in The Gambia

Society and organizational leadership: Investigating the sociocultural construction of toxic and constructive leaders in Ghana

Challenges of academic healthcare leaders in a higher education context in South Africa

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