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Leadership in Collaborative Community Health Partnerships
Author(s) -
Alexander Jeffrey A.,
Comfort Maureen E.,
Weiner Bryan J.,
Bogue Richard
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
nonprofit management and leadership
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.844
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1542-7854
pISSN - 1048-6682
DOI - 10.1002/nml.12203
Subject(s) - general partnership , collaborative leadership , shared leadership , public relations , health care , power (physics) , leadership style , leadership studies , sociology , neuroleadership , qualitative research , political science , social science , physics , quantum mechanics , law
This article examines key leadership issues in community health partnerships. We assert that leadership in a partnership is differentiated from that in a traditional, hierarchical organization in that participation is voluntary and egalitarian and often entails cooperation by organizations with different cultures and agendas. Partnership leaders, accordingly, often lack formal control over members and their actions. Using qualitative analysis of 115 site‐visit interviews of participants in four partnerships in the Community Care Networks demonstration program, we identify and discuss five themes of collaborative leadership: systems thinking, vision‐based leadership, collateral leadership, power sharing, and process‐based leadership. We then discuss the multiple challenges that collaborative leadership faces in a community health partnership.