Developing a model for effective leadership in healthcare: a concept mapping approach.

Purpose: Despite increasing awareness of the importance of leadership in healthcare, our understanding of the competencies of effective leadership remains limited. We used a concept mapping approach (a blend of qualitative and quantitative analysis of group processes to produce a visual composite of the group's ideas) to identify stakeholders' mental model of effective healthcare leadership, clarifying the underlying structure and importance of leadership competencies.

Methods: Literature review, focus groups, and consensus meetings were used to derive a representative set of healthcare leadership competency statements.