Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40642662›Full record

ArticleJournal of healthcare leadership2025

Change in Organizational Structure Influences Perceived Leadership in a Dutch Radiotherapy Center.

Rachelle R Swart, Maria J G Jacobs, Frits Van Merode, Liesbeth J Boersma

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of healthcare leadership, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Rachelle R SwartDepartment of Radiation Oncology (Maastro), GROW Research Institute for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, Maasstricht, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-1884-5071
Maria J G JacobsTilburg School of Economics and Management, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands.
Frits Van MerodeCare and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-1918-3487
Liesbeth J BoersmaDepartment of Radiation Oncology (Maastro), GROW Research Institute for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, Maasstricht, the Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: Healthcare organizations face challenges in balancing efficiency and innovation, known as ambidexterity. Leadership plays an important role, with transformational leadership driving innovation and transactional leadership supporting efficiency. The dominant leadership framework is the Full-Range Leadership Theory (FRLT), which identifies three leadership behaviors: transformational, transactional, and passive avoidant. Organizational structures, following Mintzberg, Pugh and Galbraith, including span of control (SoC), unit grouping, and lateral linkages, significantly influence leadership dynamics. This study examines the impact of structural changes on perceived leadership styles in a Dutch radiotherapy center (RTc) following the implementation of proton therapy, a radical innovation. Patients and Methods: A mixed-method approach combined leadership surveys, with data collected at three time points, before and after structural changes in 2022. The multifactor leadership questionnaire (MLQ) was distributed among the employees in November 2021, March 2022, and March 2023. Three interventions were introduced: (1) appointing dedicated team leaders (TLs) to improve information flow and reduce management SoC; (2) integrating a Patient Care (PC) manager into the advisory board to facilitate direct communication within the governance structure, including other hierarchical layers; and (3) adding a proton therapy manager as a liaison to improve coordination. Leadership perceptions were measured using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) at three time points (T1, T2, T3). The Independent-Samples Mann-Whitney Results: Transformational leadership significantly increased across all groups, with PC scores rising from 2.3 at T1/T2 to 2.5 at T3, and MT-PC scores from 1.8 at T1 to 2.4 at T3. Passive avoidant leadership significantly decreased (eg, MT-PC: 1.6 at T1 to 1.0 at T3). Transactional leadership showed less pronounced and non-significant changes. Photon therapy staff experienced earlier improvements in leadership perceptions, while proton therapy staff showed delayed but stronger shifts by T3. Conclusion: In this study, structural changes positively influenced leadership perceptions, supporting ambidexterity. Significant increases in transformational leadership and decreases in passive avoidant leadership align leadership styles with the dual demands of innovation and operational efficiency, demonstrating the importance of organizational design in healthcare leadership. Our findings show that healthcare management could use organizational structure changes to promote transformational leadership.

Indexed as

ambidexterityhealthcareleadershipradiotherapy

Identifiers

PMID40642662
PMCPMC12241236

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.