| Ineffective leadership can have a negative impact on the operation, services provided, and ability of assertive community treatment programs to accomplish its mission. In this study the target population was team leaders, front-line staff who represent the leadership of New York City's Assertive Community Treatment programs. This is a qualitative study that identifies the lived experience of team leaders found in both private and public sectors. The study's primary method was an open-ended interview. The intended audience of this research is those interested in leadership abilities, leadership styles, and leadership in assertive community treatment. The transformation of data into meaningful units allowed for a detailed description of leadership styles. Several themes emerged as a result of this study. Team leaders were found to use various approaches and techniques when interacting with their staff. A common theme that surfaced was the use of communication among the participants. Another common theme to emerge was the importance of team leaders in providing support. This research provided information to bridge the current gaps in literature. It benefits team leaders in Assertive Community Treatment programs by identifying; 1) the inner experience of leadership among different team leaders within ACT programs to provide to other leaders in same or similar fields examples some of the skills used when dealing with crisis or obstacles within their programs: 2) communication skills and supportive behaviors practiced by team leaders: and 3) team leader's use of different approaches to effectively oversee their individual program. |
