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. 2024 Feb 23:69:1606267.
doi: 10.3389/ijph.2024.1606267. eCollection 2024.

Competencies for Transformational Leadership in Public Health-An International Delphi Consensus Study

Barbara Maria Bürkin  1   2 , Katarzyna Czabanowska  3   4 , Suzanne Babich  3   5 , Núria Casamitjana  6 , Marta Vicente-Crespo  7   8 , Luis Eugenio De Souza  9 , John P Ehrenberg  10 , Axel Hoffmann  1   2 , Rajesh Kamath  11 , Anja Matthiä  1   2 , Fredros Okumu  12 , Elizeus Rutebemberwa  13   14 , Marco Waser  1   2 , Nino Kuenzli  1   2 , Julia Bohlius  1   2
Affiliations

Competencies for Transformational Leadership in Public Health-An International Delphi Consensus Study

Barbara Maria Bürkin et al. Int J Public Health. .

Abstract

Objectives: This Delphi study intended to develop competencies for transformational leadership in public health, including behavioral descriptions (descriptors) tailored to individuals and their contexts. Methods: The study involved five rounds, including online "e-Delphi" consultations and real-time online workshops with experts from diverse sectors. Relevant competencies were identified through a literature review, and experts rated, ranked, rephrased, and proposed descriptors. The study followed the Guidance on Conducting and REporting DElphi Studies (CREDES) and the COmpeteNcy FramEwoRk Development in Health Professions (CONFERD-HP) reporting guidelines. Results: Our framework comprises ten competencies for transformational public health leadership (each with its descriptors) within four categories, and also describes a four-stage model for developing relevant competencies tailored to different contexts. Conclusion: Educators responsible for curriculum design, particularly those aiming to align curricula with local goals, making leadership education context-specific and -sensitive, may benefit from the proposed framework. Additionally, it can help strengthen links between education and workforce sectors, address competency gaps, and potentially reduce the out-migration of graduates in the health professions.

Keywords: Delphi study; competencies; competency framework; context; transformational leadership.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they do not have any conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Delphi process. Competencies for transformational leadership in public health—an international Delphi consensus study (Allschwil, Switzerland, 2023).
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Final competency framework. Venn diagram demonstrating individual competencies as interrelated, overlapping and context-dependent. Competencies for transformational leadership in public health—an international Delphi consensus study (Allschwil, Switzerland, 2023).
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Developmental stages of competency development. Competencies for transformational leadership in public health—an international Delphi consensus study (Allschwil, Switzerland, 2023).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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