Abstract

     Both the healthcare and religious landscapes in the United States are rapidly changing. Despite the dynamic environment that spiritual care managers face, many do not receive management training prior to assuming their roles and many receive little or no training once they are in their roles. This study used mixed methods to examine the applicability of the National Center for Healthcare Leadership (NCHL) competency model to spiritual care manager roles. Interviews were conducted with 10 spiritual care managers across the country, using a Behavioral Event Interviewing (BEI) methodology. Interviews were quantitatively analyzed by using Natural Language Processing and qualitatively analyzed by thematic approach using NVIVO. The results found the EXECUTION domain to be the most discussed theme, followed by RELATIONS, TRANSFORMATION, and BOUNDARY SPANNING. Collectively these analyses suggest the NCHL Leadership Competency Model can provide a useful framework for understanding the roles and development needs of spiritual care managers.

Introduction

     Competent leadership is essential for any organization to achieve its mission, especially in a changing and challenging environment. We are in the midst of especially challenging times for managers of spiritual care programs in healthcare settings. The shift in healthcare delivery from in-patient services to population health is accelerating. The costs of delivering care must be contained while quality continues to improve. Every discipline must be able to show how they contribute to these goals. Spiritual care has historically been exempt from some of these pressures, but that is quickly changing (Handzo, Cobb, Holmes, Kelly, & Sinclair, 2014).

     While the healthcare landscape is undergoing rapid change, so is the religious landscape in the US. One of the most impactful changes is the increase in the proportion of people who report no religious affiliation: approximately 40% of people under 30 in some national surveys (Pew Research Center, 2019). However, on these same surveys, many people report having rich spiritual lives (Pew Research Center, 2019), and face serious spiritual/existential questions when experiencing illness or other life crises (Weber, Pargament, Kunik, Lomax, & Stanley, 2012).

Results

     Of the ten managers participating in this study, seven (70%) identified as female, and the remaining three (30%) identified as male. The average length of time in their management positions was 6.5 years. The median was 4.2 years, in a range from nine months to 24 years. Five of the managers (50%) worked at academic medical centers; the remaining five worked at faith-based health systems.