Exploring the Peer Leadership Network of Rehabilitation Healthcare Professionals Following Leader Development Training.

PURPOSE: The researcher aimed to identify how rehabilitation professionals engage in their peer leadership network during the first year following leader development training for the purpose of understanding the networking experiences, development of the peer leadership network, and expansion of collective leadership in an organization.

METHODOLOGY: A sequential exploratory mixed method design including Q-Methodology and focus group interviews identified the experiences of 11 rehabilitation professionals in an urban rehabilitation hospital during the first year following leader development training.

FINDINGS: Three themes were identified. These include: (a) an opportunity to connect, (b) a community of leaders, and (c) a healthy peer leadership network emerged from the data analysis. These results indicated that shared experiences and opportunities to connect in a robust peer leadership network can influence the growth of all leaders independent of their current leadership or networking competency. The opportunity to connect for shared discussions in a healthy peer leadership network can accentuate the learning following leader development curriculum as individual leaders develop leadership and as collectives advance organizational outcomes.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Healthcare organizations should facilitate connections in a healthy leadership network to develop individual and collective leadership in an organization.