There is a trend in health systems around the world to place great emphasis on and faith in improving ‘leadership’.
Leadership has been defined in many ways and the elitist implications of traditional notions of leadership sit
uncomfortably with modern healthcare organisations. The concept of distributed leadership incorporates
inclusivity, collectiveness and collaboration, with the result that, to some extent, all staff, not just those in senior
management roles, are viewed as leaders. Leadership development programmes are intended to equip individuals
to improve leadership skills, but we know little about their effectiveness. Furthermore, the content of these
programmes varies widely and the fact that many lack a sense of how they fit with individual or organisational
goals raises questions about how they are intended to achieve their aims. It is important to avoid simplistic
assumptions about the ability of improved leadership to solve complex problems. It is also important to evaluate
leadership development programmes in ways that go beyond descriptive account
