[Influence of leadership style on knowledge management and hospital efficiency]. / Influencia del liderazgo en gestión del conocimiento y eficiencia hospitalaria.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the effect of leadership style on knowledge management in hospitals and hospital efficiency based on the opinion of experts in hospital management, applying fuzzy cognitive maps (FCM). METHOD: FCM are relational models that can be used to graphically represent expert opinion and knowledge to infer cause-effect relationships between different concepts. The use of FCM as a simulation tool allows the evaluation of possible scenarios based on different leadership styles in hospitals. RESULTS: In the resulting augmented matrix, standardized effects range from 0.02 to 0.84, with the highest value representing the strongest relationship between knowledge exploitation and hospital efficiency. From the viewpoint of experts, knowledge creation within the hospital also influences hospital efficiency. Regarding variables reflecting leadership characteristics, positive effects have been identified, though with varying intensities, between authority, benevolence, and charisma, both in terms of knowledge creation and exploitation, as well as hospital efficiency. The transformational leadership style is associated with coefficients having higher values for knowledge management and hospital efficiency. CONCLUSIONS: Experts suggest that hospitals with authoritarian leadership styles would exhibit lower levels of knowledge creation and management, as well as lower hospital efficiency. On the other hand, they associate hospitals managed with a paternalistic leadership style with better values in both knowledge creation and exploitation, as well as hospital efficiency, compared to the authoritarian leadership style. Finally, they attribute the highest levels in aspects related to knowledge management and hospital efficiency to the transformational leadership style.

Influencia del liderazgo en gestión del conocimiento y eficiencia hospitalaria / Influence of leadership style on knowledge management and hospital efficiency

Objetivo: Analizar el efecto del estilo de liderazgo sobre la gestión del conocimiento y la eficiencia hospitalaria aplicando para ello mapas cognitivos difusos (MCD). Método: Los MCD son modelos relacionales que se pueden utilizar para representar gráficamente la opinión y el conocimiento de un grupo de personas expertas e inferir las relaciones causa-efecto que hay entre distintos conceptos. La utilización de MCD como herramienta de simulación permite evaluar posibles escenarios basados en distintos estilos de liderazgo en los hospitales. Resultados: En la matriz aumentada resultante, los efectos estandarizados varían de 0,02 a 0,84, representando el valor más alto la relación entre explotación del conocimiento y eficiencia hospitalaria. Para las personas expertas, la creación de conocimiento en el hospital también influye en la eficiencia hospitalaria. Se han identificado efectos positivos, aunque con distinta intensidad, de la autoridad, la benevolencia y el carisma del líder en la creación y la explotación del conocimiento y en la eficiencia hospitalaria. El liderazgo transformacional se asocia a los valores más altos de gestión de conocimiento y eficiencia hospitalaria. Conclusiones: El estilo de liderazgo autoritario parece ofrecer niveles más bajos de creación y gestión de conocimiento, así como una menor eficiencia hospitalaria. Se asocian al estilo de liderazgo paternalista mejores valores tanto en la creación y la explotación de conocimiento como en la eficiencia hospitalaria, en comparación con el estilo de liderazgo autoritario. Por último, se atribuyen al liderazgo transformacional las mayores cotas en los aspectos relacionados con gestión del conocimiento y eficiencia hospitalaria.(AU)

Objective: To analyse the effect of leadership style on knowledge management in hospitals and hospital efficiency based on the opinion of experts in hospital management, applying fuzzy cognitive maps (FCM). Method: FCM are relational models that can be used to graphically represent expert opinion and knowledge to infer cause–effect relationships between different concepts. The use of FCM as a simulation tool allows the evaluation of possible scenarios based on different leadership styles in hospitals. Results: In the resulting augmented matrix, standardized effects range from 0.02 to 0.84, with the highest value representing the strongest relationship between knowledge exploitation and hospital efficiency. From the viewpoint of experts, knowledge creation within the hospital also influences hospital efficiency. Regarding variables reflecting leadership characteristics, positive effects have been identified, though with varying intensities, between authority, benevolence, and charisma, both in terms of knowledge creation and exploitation, as well as hospital efficiency. The transformational leadership style is associated with coefficients having higher values for knowledge management and hospital efficiency. Conclusions: Experts suggest that hospitals with authoritarian leadership styles would exhibit lower levels of knowledge creation and management, as well as lower hospital efficiency. On the other hand, they associate hospitals managed with a paternalistic leadership style with better values in both knowledge creation and exploitation, as well as hospital efficiency, compared to the authoritarian leadership style. Finally, they attribute the highest levels in aspects related to knowledge management and hospital efficiency to the transformational leadership style.(AU)