Physician leadership competency: a quantitative study of challenges, barriers and development models

Background/Aims Physicians play a crucial role in healthcare leadership, yet often lack formal training and may experience challenges and barriers when pursuing leadership roles. This study aimed to assess leadership competencies and identify challenges in leadership roles and barriers to uptake of leadership positions among hospital physicians in Lebanon. It also assessed the perceived suitability of two models for improving leadership skills: continuing professional development and the 360-degree appraisal mechanism. Methods This quantitative study took place from July 2020 to March 2021, recruiting 100 physician leaders working in six hospitals in Lebanon. Data were collected using an online questionnaire with four sections: sociodemographic data collection; a leadership competency self-assessment, using a 5-point Likert scale; a multiple-choice questionnaire to identify challenges in and barriers to leadership roles; a section asking participants to choose between continuing professional development and the 360-degree appraisal mechanism. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, with relationships between sociodemographic variables and leadership competency assessed using an independent t-test and ANOVA. Results Participants’ self-assessed leadership competency levels were high across all domains, with mean scores from 4.53 to 4.67 out of 5.00. Significant differences in mean scores were identified between age groups and departments. The most commonly reported challenges were time pressures and financial pressures, reported by 71% and 45% of participants respectively, while negative attitudes of senior physicians (55%) and lack of business training (50%) were key barriers to leadership roles. Continuing professional development was favoured over the 360-degree appraisal mechanism by 63% of respondents. Conclusions Participants in this study perceived themselves as having high levels of leadership competency. However, the challenges and barriers identified reflect a lack of training in specific leadership skills, such as business acumen, as well as negative attitudes towards leadership which may hinder physicians from taking up these roles. Implications for practice This study suggests a need for structured leadership training programmes that are integrated into clinical education to ensure that physicians feel confident when taking on leadership roles. Nearly all participants felt that either continuing professional development or the 360-degree appraisal mechanism were useful for improving their leadership skills, suggesting that future training programmes should incorporate these tools.