Leadership Qualities of Occupational Therapy Department Program Directors and the Organizational Health of Their Departments

Abstract Objective. This study investigated the leadership of occupational therapy program directors, the organizational health of their departments, and the relationships between them. Method. The Organizational Health Assessment was used to determine how 65 directors of accredited occupational therapy programs and 185 members of occupational therapy faculties perceived their departments’ organizational health. Additionally, faculty members were surveyed for their perceptions of their program directors’ leadership via the Leader Behavior Questionnaire. Results. Both director and faculty respondents rated their departments high in organizational health. Faculty respondents rated the overall leadership of directors as average. The overall relationship between leadership and organizational health was strong (r = .97). Conclusion. Both leadership and organizational health are evident in academic occupational therapy programs. Their relationship suggests that the programs have the components that are needed for the achievement of organizational goals, which, in turn, should positively affect occupation therapy education.