Leadership in integrated care networks: A literature review and opportunities for future research

Abstract

area for future research would be to investigate how leadership processes and leadership structures interact not only within but also across levels. Contribution: This paper contributes to the literature on integrated care and current gaps in our understanding of leadership in integrated care networks (Amelung et al. 2017, Sydow et al. 2017). Limitations: The findings are limited by our definitions of key terms and inclusion criteria (e.g., we decided to include only high-ranked peer-reviewed journal articles in English language).

Towards an Integrated Care Organisation from a CEO Perspective

“…It has been observed that team stability and small size [8-11, 33, 40] are essential for learning and generating trust, progressively generating a virtuous spiral leading to greater empowerment and improved dialogue. Each team therefore had structured teamwork spaces in order to encourage collective processes of action and reflection for learning and sensemaking [31,41]. The results of this experimental phase of Etxean Ondo were recognized by the Strategic Intelligence Monitor on Personal Health Systems Phase 3 which selected the project as a case of good practice from the 24 finalists in the final round [5].…”

“…an underdeveloped concept and practice. Specifically, the lack of conceptual clarity among managers regarding how to scale, transfer and sustain this process [12,31] effectively and confidently [21] towards the organisational integration of PCC [8,11,23,32,33] remains a significant barrier [12,[27][28][29][30][34][35][36]. More research is urgently required to understand how to support managers so that they can achieve changes in practice and culture.…”

Implementing Coordinated Care Networks: The Interplay of Individual and Distributed Leadership Practices

“…Networks are “complex, messy, dynamic, and difficult to manage” ( Goodwin, 2008 ), requiring committed leadership that supports collaboration across professional and organizational boundaries and moves the network toward its goals ( Cunningham et al, 2019 ; Huxham & Vangen, 2000 ). Leadership is frequently cited as a key enabler in the literature on coordinated care but is rarely the focus of empirical studies ( Aunger et al, 2021 ; Edgren & Barnard, 2012 ; Evans, Daub, et al, 2016 ; Mitterlechner, 2020 ; Suter et al, 2009 ). We thus lack a nuanced understanding of how leadership functions when multiple organizations—each with their own leadership structures—come together as a network.…”

“…Research on coordinated care networks suggests that traditional individual or “heroic” leadership approaches may hinder network implementation and performance ( Grudniewicz et al, 2018 ; Tsasis et al, 2012 ). Distributed leadership in these networks is thought to be effective because influence is “dispersed across multiple actors, with no single agent having full authority, resources or expertise to lead the change” ( Mitterlechner, 2020 , p. 8). However, distributed leadership could also inadvertently result in a leadership vacuum where no one has the authority and resources to manage the network ( Buchanan et al, 2007 ).…”

“…This study also contributes to the literature on coordinated and integrated care delivery. In a recent review on leading integrated care initiatives, only 5% of included papers applied leadership theories (4/73) and most studies involved a broad sweep of organizational factors rather than an in-depth examination of leadership structures and practices ( Mitterlechner, 2020 ). Our study involved a deep empirical analysis of leadership informed by distributed leadership theory.…”