K. Brown1, P. Angelos8, A. Banerjee10, R. Britt4, K. B. Dunn7, G. Kennedy9, R. Kim2, J. Lau5, V. Nfonsam3, R. Radhakrishnan6, K. Brown1 1University of Texas Austin Dell Medical School,Surgery And Perioperative Care,Austin, TX, USA 2Southern Illinois University School Of Medicine,Surgery,Springfield, IL, USA 3University Of Arizona,Surgery,Tucson, AZ, USA 4Eastern Virginia Medical School,Surgery,Norfolk, VA, USA 5Stanford University,Surgery,Palo Alto, CA, USA 6University Of Texas Medical Branch,Surgery,Galveston, TX, USA 7University Of Louisville,Surgery,Louisville, KY, USA 8University Of Chicago,Surgery,Chicago, IL, USA 9University Of Alabama at Birmingham,Surgery,Birmingham, Alabama, USA 10Roosevelt University,Industrial-Organizational Psychology,Chicago, IL, USA
Introduction: Leadership skills have become an important competency for successful academic surgeons. Informed by research in Industrial-Organizational Psychology across multiple business settings, analyzing and optimizing the culture of an organization can significantly impact the effectiveness of the unit. These concepts have begun to influence leaders in academic medicine, but there are few data on leaders’ use of these tools or their impact. The purpose of this study is to explore SUS members’ knowledge and use of leadership skills relating to optimizing the culture of the units they lead, as a needs assessment for future educational activities.
Methods: Survey questions were constructed in collaboration with a PhD Industrial-Organizational Psychologist and piloted on a sample of members of the SUS. The revised survey was distributed to the members of the SUS via email, with one follow-up reminder email. Responses were analyzed with descriptive statistics.
Results: Our response rate was 20% (98/492 members contacted). Respondents’ leadership units included academic divisions or sections (n=49), clinical programs (n=14), training programs (n=15), and research programs (n=7). There were 14 Vice Chairs and 4 Department Chairs. Nine respondents had more than 1 leadership role. The number of faculty and staff led by respondents was 10 or less for 37%, 11-25 for 37% and >26 for 26%. Only 8% of respondents reported “a good working knowledge” of selection science and organizational psychology (figure). Respondents learned about organizational culture most often through self-directed study, followed by learning from colleagues and through non-degree courses. Six percent of leaders routinely use formal culture assessment; 15% routinely assess potential hires for cultural fit, and 15% routinely use interventions aimed at cultural change. 73% of respondents reported “a great deal of interest” in learning about interventions to change culture; 56% in developing an aspirational culture, and 54% in assessment tools for potential hires. When asked about preferred methods for learning, attending workshop at a national meeting was strongly preferred by 35% and 51% would use that if available. Dedicated workshops and targeted reading materials were strongly preferred by 30% and 19% respectively.
Conclusion: SUS survey respondents serve significant leadership roles in academic and clinical units. These leaders have notable knowledge gaps in leadership skills used in high-performing organizations in industries outside of medicine. Targeted education to develop knowledge and skills may benefit surgical leaders in improving the performance of their clinical, administrative, research and educational units.
