Examining How Formal Leadership Development Programs Positively Influence Hospital Leaders’ Individual Competencies and Organizational Outcomes – An Evidence-Based Literature Review

BACKGROUND: Leadership development programs (LDPs) are known to be educational and valuable, yet time consuming and costly for a healthcare organization and participants alike. This study is aimed to determine the impact that participation in a formal LDP has on hospital managers and leaders’ competencies, as well as to identify the positive organizational outcomes that can be achieved. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a literature review focusing on hospital managers and leaders who participated in formal LDPs. From there, we extracted data to determine the outcomes achieved by participating in LDPs. RESULTS: The search yielded 7420 articles, of which 23 articles were used for this literature review. Overall, there were a wide range of positive outcomes for participants of LDPs and some outcomes appeared more frequently than others. The beneficial outcome that appeared most frequently was that participants were able to gain knowledge of management and leadership roles and responsibilities which appeared 13 times. An increase in participant’s confidence and communication skills appeared 10 times, respectively. The ability to network with others within the organization and an increase in job positivity and satisfaction appeared 7 times each. DISCUSSION: LDPs provided an array of positive outcomes for hospital leaders who had participated. However, there was a lack of studies on the topic and more research is needed in order to have a better understanding of the correlation between LDPs and beneficial organizational outcomes.