Explore the WHO leadership definition for health systems. Learn how leadership differs from management and what it means for healthcare professionals.
Written by Laura Bouttell • Sat 10th January 2026
WHO defines leadership in the health sector as the behaviour of an individual when directing the activities of a group toward a shared goal—involving influencing group activities and coping with change, whilst distinguishing it from management which deals with day-to-day operations, positioning leadership as the strategic function concerned with identifying where to take healthcare in the future and setting vision for organisational transformation. Understanding this definition shapes effective healthcare practice.
What does leadership mean according to the World Health Organization? This question matters because healthcare systems worldwide require effective leadership to navigate complexity, drive improvement, and achieve better outcomes. WHO's perspective on leadership provides a framework that influences how nations develop health leaders and structure health system governance.
This guide examines WHO's definition of leadership in health, helping healthcare professionals understand the concept and its practical applications.
Core concepts explained.
"Leadership has been described as the behavior of an individual when directing the activities of a group toward a shared goal."
Definition elements:
"The key aspects of the leadership role involves influencing group activities and coping with change."
Core aspects:
| Aspect | Function |
|---|---|
| Influencing | Guiding group activities |
| Change management | Navigating transformation |
| Direction setting | Providing vision |
| Goal alignment | Creating shared purpose |
Leadership extends beyond titles:
Leadership characteristics:
Critical distinctions.
"Management deals with the day-to-day operations of healthcare."
Management elements:
"Healthcare leadership is about identifying where to take healthcare in the future."
Leadership elements:
"In other words, leadership is a strategist role, while management focuses on execution."
Comparison:
| Dimension | Leadership | Management |
|---|---|---|
| Time focus | Future | Present |
| Primary role | Strategy | Execution |
| Key activity | Vision setting | Operations |
| Main concern | Direction | Efficiency |
| Change orientation | Drives change | Maintains stability |
Both are essential:
Integration needs:
Three core responsibilities.
"Strategic function - to develop a sense of direction by providing a mission and strategy."
Strategic elements:
"Tactical function - identifying and choosing the most appropriate means to persuade the group."
Tactical elements:
"Interpersonal function - maintaining the morale, cohesion and commitment of the group."
Interpersonal elements:
The importance of effective health leadership.
"The health care sector is characterised by constant reforms aimed at the efficient delivery of safe, effective, and high-quality care. Effective leadership is required to lead and drive changes at all levels of the health system to actualise the goals of the ongoing reforms."
Change imperatives:
Leadership affects all levels:
Impact levels:
Leadership enables:
Enabled outcomes:
Leadership within health system stewardship.
"WHO referred to stewardship as 'the careful and responsible management of the welfare of the population.'"
Stewardship elements:
Leadership works within governance:
Integration aspects:
| Governance Function | Leadership Role |
|---|---|
| Policy frameworks | Vision provision |
| Oversight | Accountability modelling |
| Coalition-building | Stakeholder influence |
| Regulation | Compliance championing |
| Accountability | Responsibility demonstration |
"WHO is proactively promoting collaboration, mobilizing partnerships and encouraging the efforts of different health actors to respond to national and global health challenges."
WHO leadership functions:
Contemporary approaches.
"Shared leadership is a system of team-level management/leadership that empowers staff within the decision-making processes, encouraging shared governance, continuous workplace learning and development of effective working relationships."
Shared leadership elements:
Distributed leadership provides:
Benefits:
Enabling shared leadership:
Implementation needs:
Building capability.
"One of the key traits of an effective leader is self-awareness and understanding your current leadership is the first step in becoming a better leader."
Development foundation:
Essential leadership capabilities:
Competency areas:
Build leadership through:
Development methods:
The EI connection.
"By taking assessments, leaders can recognize behavioral patterns and gain insight into how they manage themselves and their colleagues. This self-awareness is critical to effective leadership because it develops emotional intelligence."
EI components:
"90 percent of top performers in the workplace possess high emotional intelligence."
Performance connection:
Build EI through:
Development approaches:
From definition to practice.
Apply leadership through:
Vision practices:
Drive transformation by:
Change practices:
Build capability through:
Development practices:
WHO defines leadership as the behaviour of an individual when directing the activities of a group toward a shared goal. Key aspects involve influencing group activities and coping with change. This distinguishes leadership from management, positioning it as the strategic function of identifying where to take healthcare in the future.
WHO distinguishes leadership as the strategic function focused on future direction and transformation, whilst management deals with day-to-day operations and execution. Leadership is about identifying where to take healthcare; management is about coordinating resources to achieve current objectives efficiently.
The three main health leadership functions are: strategic (developing direction through mission and strategy), tactical (identifying appropriate means to persuade the group), and interpersonal (maintaining morale, cohesion, and commitment). Together these functions enable effective health system leadership.
Leadership is important in healthcare because the sector requires constant reforms for safe, effective, high-quality care. Effective leadership drives changes at all health system levels, enables goal achievement, mobilises resources, engages staff, promotes innovation, and ultimately improves patient outcomes.
Shared leadership is a team-level approach that empowers staff within decision-making processes, encouraging shared governance, continuous learning, and effective working relationships. It distributes leadership across teams rather than concentrating it in individuals, enhancing engagement and ownership.
Emotional intelligence relates to health leadership because 90% of top performers possess high EI. Self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills enable leaders to manage themselves and colleagues effectively, make better decisions, and build stronger teams.
Healthcare professionals develop leadership through formal education, experiential learning, mentoring relationships, coaching support, and reflective practice. Building self-awareness is the essential foundation, followed by developing competencies in strategic thinking, communication, emotional intelligence, and change management.