| Attending physicians of internal medicine residency programs need adaptive leadership makeovers to effectively manage residency programs, teaching hospitals, or organizations they are called upon to lead. The research investigated internal medicine residents' perceptions of attending physicians' leadership qualities during medical residency using a descriptive study and an integrated model approach. The foundation for the research questions was that while attending physicians are well trained in the area of clinical skills, they often receive little or no leadership development training. Thus, many attending physicians lack leadership guidance and, therefore, need an adaptive leadership makeover. First, the study examined and analyzed adaptive leadership qualities that residents perceived are needed by attending physicians to engage in adaptive leadership development training. Second, the study posited and interpreted relevant leadership theories and research findings to propose a 21st-century definition of leadership that could best serve as an adaptive leadership makeover for attending physicians (or leaders) to improve leadership guidance. Third, the study proposed an integrated adaptive leadership development framework, circular motion leadership (CML), as a pathway to advance, harness, and challenge existing knowledge about leader--follower relationships. The research revealed relevant activities of the CML model for adaptive leaders' and followers' interactions. A new knowledge from the study is that leadership is an activity that can be taught, and can be learned by everyone through interactions. The results also indicated attending physicians need leadership development training through effective interactions with residents, for internal medicine residency program to thrive and be sustainable. Residents' perceptions of attending physicians' leadership qualities were found to be related to attending physicians' lack of leadership development training as opposed to general incompetence as leaders. The research design was grounded in a mix of both qualitative and quantitative philosophies. The combined methodological approach would allow fuller and longer use of the research for ongoing discovery and identification of new leadership phenomena. However, the study does not support the traditional notion that leadership is top-down, innate, power, influence, or authority. The research findings provided insights into the implications, conclusions, and limitations that emanated from the study and recommendations for further research. |
