Healthcare leadership development for co-creating public value

Leadership in healthcare traditionally emphasizes medical leadership. Medical doctors are in charge and they are responsible for treating cases in high-quality ways, with little attention to organizing and for optimizing organizational surroundings. Societal and organizational circumstances, however, have affected leadership realities. Traditional medical leadership was strengthened by the rise of organizational leadership, aimed at emphasizing the effectiveness and efficiency of well-organized processes. Lately, we see a move towards more connective leadership, aimed at emphasizing value-based care in wider ecosystems. This chapter explores connective leadership. We trace three value-enhancing forms of co-creating public health that are inherently relational: 1) rendering fewer services, 2) rendering different services, and 3) rendering services differently. Leadership development then, calls for a focus on teams, networks and environments. Connective leadership moves beyond individuals and individual competencies and focuses on appropriate leadership (instead of ‘leader’) for the challenge. This is not easy, as it will affect organizational and professional interests, but it is timely.