Self-perceived leadership and entrepreneurship skills: profiling healthcare professionals

Abstract

Background: Healthcare is a complex system with overarching challenges that arise from the different hierarchically organized structures and the diversity of people interacting and communicating in the same environment. This complexity can be addressed by strengthening healthcare professional leadership and entrepreneurship competencies. This study aims to evaluate the self-perception of healthcare professionals regarding these skills and their association with demographic characteristics and university attributes. Method: A cross-sectional survey conducted online from July to December 2021 recruited 245 Lebanese health professionals from different health-related institutions (hospitals, pharmaceutical industry, health professions universities, and others) using snowball sampling. A cluster analysis was performed based on the socio-demographic and work characteristics of the participants to classify their profiles. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed after ensuring the adequacy of the models. Significance was set at a P value < 0.05. Results: Cluster analysis showed two distinct profiles, reflected by Cluster 1 for older individuals with moderate/high management versus Cluster 2 for younger people with low management profiles. The logistic regression showed that Cluster 1 was significantly associated with higher leadership with administrative, interpersonal, and conceptual skills. The interpersonal skills represented best Cluster 1 (ORa = 7.47), followed by the conceptual skills (ORa = 4.40). Linear regression analysis showed that Cluster 1 was significantly associated with higher decision-making (β = 0.69) and higher tolerance of ambiguity (β = 1.01). No association was found between other subscales, total entrepreneurship scales, and belonging to any cluster (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Although most healthcare professionals showed moderate to high perceptions related to their leadership and entrepreneurship, younger ones were aware of the need to develop these skills to meet the challenges of the complex dynamic health system. Educating students and training professionals to acquire these skills would create value in emerging health services while fostering innovation, creativity, and quality improvement in the workplace.