From leadership research to district action: Stakeholders' Perceptions of Medical Leadership in Indian Medical Schools: A Thematic Analysis

AI-assisted editorial implementation guide. Proposed district actions are separate from the original authors’ findings and recommendations. Independent peer review of this guide is not asserted.

Read source Search paper agent CC BY 4.0

Evidence and transfer

Education-related source: verify which participants, institutions and outcomes were actually studied before district adoption. Source publication type: research-article. License and identity checks do not establish study quality or causality.

Original authors’ abstract, reproduced under the source license:

Background and objective In recent times, the need for structured leadership development programs to produce effective leadership in healthcare professions globally has been highlighted. Understanding how stakeholders conceptualize leadership is key to ensuring the effectiveness of leadership training programs. Stakeholders’ perceptions of what makes an effective leader will influence their expectations about the content of such programs. Training programs are more successful if there is end-user acceptance of the underlying rationale of the program. Developing leadership development programs that echo and reflect user perceptions is key to the programs' success. If trainees’ expectations about the program are not met, they are less likely to have positive attitudes toward the program. Thus, it is important to understand different stakeholders’ perceptions about leadership and the currently existing leadership program curriculum. Very few studies in the literature have focused on the perceptions of diverse groups of stakeholders in the healthcare context. Studies focusing on the perceptions of medical leadership and leadership training in Indian medical schools are scarce. This study aimed to address this gap by exploring the perceptions of different stakeholders on medical leadership, current leadership training curricula, and factors influencing leadership training. Methods This was a qualitative study involving different stakeholders with leadership experience. We selected 20 participants with leadership experience. Stakeholder groups included five medical students (year four undergraduates, interns, postgraduates), five clinician leaders who are also department heads, five medical scientists (lecturer/tutor, assistant, and associate professors), and five institute leaders (associate dean, assistant dean, vice-dean, and dean). The participants were members of the institute’s undergraduate curriculum committee at a rural Indian medical school. We collected the data through semi-structured interviews and analyzed it using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis. Results Stakeholders expect the leaders to be role models and sources of inspiration who can communicate their vision, manage disagreements, and make decisions effectively. Stakeholders considered leadership curriculum, learners, faculty, institutional administrators, time availability and context of the institutions as factors that influence leadership training. Conclusions Based on our understanding of participants' perceptions, we highlight the need for a Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely (SMART), and sustainable leadership curriculum. We propose the ripple model of leadership which could influence stakeholders’ identity, perceptions, competency, and actions that in turn would enhance enablers and reduce barriers to leadership training at all levels of the healthcare system to provide the desired outcome: effective healthcare leadership.

Study methods

This is an interpretative qualitative study using the constructivism paradigm. For perception exploration, qualitative research is the optimal method [16-17]. We conducted this study between January 7, 2023, and April 30, 2023, at Trichy SRM Medical College, located in the rural setting of Irungalur, Tiruchirappalli, India. Many of the participants were from Trichy SRM Medical College. At Trichy SRM Medical College, we also interviewed participants from two other medical colleges who were institute leaders/clinician leaders.

Limitations

This study has a few limitations, such as its small sample size and the fact that participants are from selected small groups; moreover, this was a single-center study in a rural context. Perceptions depend on the experiences of individuals and the context in which they prevail. The perception of an individual from a rural, resource-limited, public sector will vary from the urban, resource-rich, private sector. Similarly, the perceptions of an individual, group, or society are affected by the culture that exists locally. Hence, the findings from a single-center study will vary across different contexts. This study has not included the patients who are the consumers at the user-end of training. Qualitative data analysis and the approach to analysis are also subject to researcher bias.

A 90-day district inquiry

Days 1–15 · Appraise. Read the source methods, recruitment, comparator, outcomes and limitations. Record how the study setting differs from your district and which claim the design can support.
Days 16–30 · Design. Choose one school improvement question with teachers. Protect a short shared planning cycle, agree an instructional change and use a common rubric for examining student work. Agree participation, privacy protections, baseline and stopping rules before starting.
Days 31–60 · Observe. Collect the pre-agreed measures, keep a log of implementation changes and invite confidential voluntary feedback. Preserve existing support for staff and learners.
Days 61–90 · Decide. Review implementation fidelity, teacher time and independently scored student work against a recorded baseline. Examine access differences and competing explanations before attributing changes to leadership. Make a dated decision to stop, revise or extend the inquiry.

Board decision brief

Present the local problem, source setting, evidence limits, intervention, responsible owner, total cost, measured changes and uncertainty. Separate staff perceptions, implementation measures and student learning outcomes.

Attribution and reuse

Guru Thangiah Arun; Gugapriya TS; Ilavenil K; Kamala E. Stakeholders' Perceptions of Medical Leadership in Indian Medical Schools: A Thematic Analysis. Cureus (2025-03-28). https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.81375

Prepared 2026-11-07. Source authorship and DOI are preserved. The abstract and source passages are attributed extracts; this editorial guide is offered under the same CC BY 4.0 license.