Shared Leadership

Implementation of Shared Leadership:
A Strategy to Improve Outcomes
Capstone Project Paper
Deb Colshan
Allen College

Implementation of Shared Leadership: A Strategy to Improve Outcomes
Abstract
Healthcare has become complex and competitive forcing hospitals to find alternative methods to make care safer and more efficient. Because of overcrowding and workload, emergency departments often experience large staff turnover, low patient satisfaction scores, and a negative image within their community. Reversal of this trend may occur by implementing a shared leadership governing structure. Successful implementation of shared leadership empowers the front line staff to accept ownership of the department driving them to strive to make changes in the care environment that improve patient care. This article describes how one emergency department implemented a shared leadership governing structure to empower the staff to become problem solvers and change agents. Preliminary data collected supports the premise that shared leadership and decision making positively affects the care environment.

Implementation of Shared Leadership: A Strategy to Improve Outcomes
Introduction
St. Luke’s emergency department has had an extended history of poor staff morale, large turnover rates (staff and management), low patient satisfaction scores, and a negative image within our hospital and the community. One strategy other successful hospitals are using to overcome these obstacles is to empower the staff to become problem solvers and change agents by implementation of a shared leadership governance structure. This structure allows many decisions to be made at the point of care by the staff members performing the care. Research suggests that implementation of shared leadership will improve the patient care environment and appears promising to re-vitalize the emergency department (Ellis & Gates, 2005). Implementation of shared leadership is a journey with many challenges.

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