Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Ph.D student in Public Administration. Department of Management, Ardabil branch, Islamic Azad University, Ardabil, Iran.
2 Department of Management, Ardabil branch, Islamic Azad University, Ardabil, Iran
3 Department of Management, Ardabil branch, Islamic Azad University, Ardabil, Iran.
4 Ardabil University of Medical Sciences
Abstract
Background:
Effective leadership in hospital management plays a critical role in enhancing healthcare quality, safety, and organizational performance. Given the evolving challenges in healthcare systems and the limitations of generalized international competency frameworks, there is a growing need to define a context-specific set of leadership competencies tailored to the Iranian healthcare system. This study aimed to identify and categorize the core leadership competencies required for hospital managers affiliated with the Ministry of Health and Medical Education in Iran.
Methods:
A two-phase qualitative study was conducted in 2025. In the first phase, the Delphi technique was used to gather expert opinions. Twenty-eight senior hospital managers and policy experts from various regions of Iran were initially invited through purposive sampling, of whom 18 completed all three Delphi rounds. In the second phase, the data from the same participants were analyzed using directed content analysis to categorize and refine the leadership competency framework. Data trustworthiness was ensured using Lincoln and Guba’s criteria, and inter-rater agreement was calculated (>85%).
Results:
From an initial pool of 611 codes, a final set of 47 leadership competency components was identified and organized into six major categories: (1) Personal and Ethical Characteristics, (2) Leadership and Organizational Skills, (3) Interpersonal and Communication Skills, (4) Strategic and Professional Skills, (5) Health-Specific Technical Competencies, and (6) Innovation, Learning, and Development. The highest-rated components included honesty, responsibility, and decisiveness. Competencies related to innovation and learning received the lowest priority.
Conclusion:
This study presents a context-sensitive framework for hospital leadership competencies aligned with the needs and realities of the Iranian healthcare system. The findings provide a foundation for designing assessment tools, leadership training programs, and recruitment models to enhance hospital management performance.
Keywords
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