A systematic review of leadership styles in healthcare sector: Insights and future directions

Abstract

In light of the ongoing global health crisis, the significance of leadership within the healthcare sector has intensified. Given this consideration, the significance of appropriate leadership styles cannot be overstated. The objective of this paper is to critically review published studies on leadership elements in the healthcare sector. Using Bibliometrix R package and VOS viewer, we conducted bibliometric and network analyses on publications retrieved from the Web of Science (WOS) database, with content analysis integrated throughout the paper to deepen understanding. Ultimately, 243 articles were identified as relevant. The findings revealed transformational leadership emerges as the most extensively discussed leadership style. 91% of the articles' theme focus on quantitative research methods. This study synthesizes the influencing factors of the three most frequently discussed leadership styles-transformational, authentic, and ethical leadership-emphasizing the importance of job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behavior. And provides direction for future research through thematic analysis.

Keywords: Bibliometric analysis; Content analysis; Leadership styles; Transformational leadership.