Diverse Leadership’s Impact on Innovation in Healthcare Settings
Malikeh, Suleiman (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025052918004
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025052918004
Tiivistelmä
The study explores the impact of diverse leadership on innovation within healthcare settings, focusing on how inclusive and transformational leadership styles foster innovative behavior, improve care quality, and drive systemic change. The aim of this paper was to evaluate how leadership diversity enables the development of more responsive, equitable, and sustainable healthcare models.
As for methods, the study was conducted using academic databases including CINHAL, PubMed, and ProQuest as a scoping review of twelve peer-reviewed articles from various international healthcare systems. The analysis identified five central thematic areas: (1) innovation as an outcome of diverse leadership; (2) improvements in healthcare quality and patient-centered care; (3) economic and institutional transformation; (4) systemic organizational change; and (5) implementation challenges and solutions.
The results showed that diverse leadership enhances innovation through mechanisms such as cognitive diversity, inclusive governance structures, and culturally responsive care models. However, its success is contingent upon institutional readiness, leadership autonomy, and the genuine integration of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) principles.
This paper concludes that diverse leadership is not merely a matter of representation, but a strategic factor in fostering healthcare innovation. This may be of help in clarifying how leadership development, policy, and institutional accountability can contribute to health system improvement. It is recommended that health care systems invest in inclusive leadership development, embed DEIB values into governance, and prioritize policy accountability to support innovation and long-term sustainability.
As for methods, the study was conducted using academic databases including CINHAL, PubMed, and ProQuest as a scoping review of twelve peer-reviewed articles from various international healthcare systems. The analysis identified five central thematic areas: (1) innovation as an outcome of diverse leadership; (2) improvements in healthcare quality and patient-centered care; (3) economic and institutional transformation; (4) systemic organizational change; and (5) implementation challenges and solutions.
The results showed that diverse leadership enhances innovation through mechanisms such as cognitive diversity, inclusive governance structures, and culturally responsive care models. However, its success is contingent upon institutional readiness, leadership autonomy, and the genuine integration of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) principles.
This paper concludes that diverse leadership is not merely a matter of representation, but a strategic factor in fostering healthcare innovation. This may be of help in clarifying how leadership development, policy, and institutional accountability can contribute to health system improvement. It is recommended that health care systems invest in inclusive leadership development, embed DEIB values into governance, and prioritize policy accountability to support innovation and long-term sustainability.