# Enhancing healthcare leadership in Gujarat, India: an effectiveness study

## TL;DR

This study evaluates a leadership training program for healthcare officials in Gujarat, India, showing positive impacts on leadership skills and work behavior.

## Contribution

The study provides empirical evidence on the effectiveness of a leadership program using the LEADS framework and Kirkpatrick’s evaluation model.

## Key findings

- Over 97% of participants had positive reactions to the program's content and relevance.
- Participants showed significant learning in self-awareness and people management.
- Subordinates noticed behavioral changes in leaders, though system-level changes were limited to local work sites.

## Abstract

The state government of Gujarat, India, recognized the need for a systematic leadership enhancement program in 2022 for mid- and senior-level government technical health officials to address complex health system challenges. The Health Leadership Enhancement Program (HLEP) was designed and implemented using the LEADS framework for approximately 150 Public Health and Healthcare leaders in Gujarat, in three cycles, to meet this demand.

This paper aims to assess the effectiveness of the Healthcare Leadership Enhancement Program using Kirkpatrick’s four-level framework. We evaluated the program’s effectiveness through the four levels: Reaction, Learning, Behavior, and Results.

Over 97% of participants reported having significantly positive reactions to the program’s content and its relevance to their leadership roles. Most participants reported the highest learning under self-awareness and people management. The participants’ subordinates perceived a behavioral shift in the leadership approaches of their leaders. System-level changes were at the level of local work sites rather than at the broad policy level. The participants rated case studies, mentoring, and practice-based assignments as favorable methods under program pedagogy.

Leadership enhancement programs designed to match work contexts and experiential pedagogy have the potential to enhance individual self-awareness and team management. Real-world case studies, mentoring, and practice-based assignments accompanied by classroom learning seem to be the better pedagogy.