THE INFLUENCE OF AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP ON THE GOVERNANCE OF COUNTY REFERRAL HOSPITALS IN KENYA
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Abstract
Authentic Leadership has received considerable attention because of its potential implications on the governance of an organization. Scholars have outlined authentic leadership as a possible solution for the governance of hospitals today. This study focused on five County referral hospitals. The preparedness of County referral hospitals was a challenge during the implementation of devolution in Kenya. The transfer of national government services to the County governments was occasioned by the promulgation of the Kenyan constitution 2010. Authentic leadership is one of the most effective types of leadership and its influence on the governance of health institutions has rarely been addressed in Kenya. The broad objective of this study was to determine the influence of authentic leadership on the governance of County referral hospitals in Kenya. The specific objectives of this study were to determine the influence of self-awareness, internalized moral perspective, balanced processing, and relational transparency on the governance of County referral hospitals in Kenya. This mixed methods study was anchored on pragmatism philosophy where both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Questionnaires and interview schedules were used to collect data. The study population included County health leaders such as director of health, County health management team and health program managers. This included doctors, nurses, nutritionists, clinical officers, public health officers, and health workers in the sampled five County referral hospitals. The study employed both purposive and random sampling techniques. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS, while qualitative data was analyzed based on emerging themes in narrative form as guided by the study objectives. It was determined that there exists a relationship between authentic leadership, leadership efficacy, and governance of County referral hospitals in Kenya. The government and key stakeholders could apply the results in policy making. Effective policy could ensure that all health institutions engage and develop leaders’ authentic leadership knowledge and skills. The Ministry of Health should utilize the capacity building recommendations to develop those in service in order to improve the leadership and governance of health institutions in Kenya and beyond.
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