Number
260
Name
TRANSFORMING BIOMEDICAL AND CLINICAL RESEARCH LEADERS INTO EMPOWERING LEADERS THROUGH A SHORT INTERVENTION
Date & Time
Monday, June 8, 2026, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Location Name
Oglethorpe Ballroom
Speakers
Authors
Joseph Jackson, Department of Sociology, University of Alabama at Birmingham
David Rogers, Department of Surgery; UAB Medicine Office of Wellness, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Laurence Boitet, Department of Medical Education; UAB Medicine Office of Wellness, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Allen Gorman, Department of Management, Information Systems, and Quantitative Methods, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Presentation Topic(s)
Curriculum
Description
PURPOSE
Leadership quality is a critical determinant of team wellbeing,
functioning, and retention. Research leaders, however, often enter
supervisory roles without formal preparation, and are often overlooked in
leadership development efforts. Evidence suggests that leadership behaviors
can significantly influence team dynamics. Specifically, empowering
leadership, or leader behaviors that enhance follower autonomy, competence,
and self-direction, and job crafting, or proactive changes employees make to
align job demands and resources with strengths and needs, can decrease
burnout and improve work environments. This work describes an evidence-based
intervention educating biomedical and clinical research leaders in empowering
leadership combined with job crafting behaviors to enhance their leadership
capacity and effectiveness.
METHODS
Leaders (e.g., research faculty, lab managers, clinical research
coordinators) managing research groups with at least two direct reports were
recruited from institutions across the United States. Participants completed
a free 8-week asynchronous online course on empowering leadership and job
crafting. Weekly modules included short videos, reflective and applied
exercises, and peer discussions. Participants completed pre-, post-, and
three-month follow-up assessments. Measures included the Wellbeing Index,
Work and Meaning Inventory, Empowering Leadership Scale, and Job Crafting
Scale and Questionnaire. Paired t-tests examined within-group changes over
time.
RESULTS
Leaders demonstrated significant increases in work engagement post-course
(p<.05). Improvements sustained through the 3-month follow-up included
wellbeing (p<.01), meaningful work (p<.05), reductions in hindering
demands (p<.05), increases in social resources (p<.01), and job
crafting behaviors (p<.05). Empowering leadership scores continued to
improve from post-assessment to 3-months post-course (p<.001). Ninety-one
percent of participants were likely to recommend the course to others.
Reported strengths included flexibility, team-based application, and peer
discussion.
CONCLUSION
Leadership development that included empowering leadership and job crafting
education led to measurable improvements in leaders’ behaviors and overall
wellbeing. This intervention’s scalable design supports adaptation across
disciplines and career stages, fostering healthier, more empowering work
environments.
Leadership quality is a critical determinant of team wellbeing,
functioning, and retention. Research leaders, however, often enter
supervisory roles without formal preparation, and are often overlooked in
leadership development efforts. Evidence suggests that leadership behaviors
can significantly influence team dynamics. Specifically, empowering
leadership, or leader behaviors that enhance follower autonomy, competence,
and self-direction, and job crafting, or proactive changes employees make to
align job demands and resources with strengths and needs, can decrease
burnout and improve work environments. This work describes an evidence-based
intervention educating biomedical and clinical research leaders in empowering
leadership combined with job crafting behaviors to enhance their leadership
capacity and effectiveness.
METHODS
Leaders (e.g., research faculty, lab managers, clinical research
coordinators) managing research groups with at least two direct reports were
recruited from institutions across the United States. Participants completed
a free 8-week asynchronous online course on empowering leadership and job
crafting. Weekly modules included short videos, reflective and applied
exercises, and peer discussions. Participants completed pre-, post-, and
three-month follow-up assessments. Measures included the Wellbeing Index,
Work and Meaning Inventory, Empowering Leadership Scale, and Job Crafting
Scale and Questionnaire. Paired t-tests examined within-group changes over
time.
RESULTS
Leaders demonstrated significant increases in work engagement post-course
(p<.05). Improvements sustained through the 3-month follow-up included
wellbeing (p<.01), meaningful work (p<.05), reductions in hindering
demands (p<.05), increases in social resources (p<.01), and job
crafting behaviors (p<.05). Empowering leadership scores continued to
improve from post-assessment to 3-months post-course (p<.001). Ninety-one
percent of participants were likely to recommend the course to others.
Reported strengths included flexibility, team-based application, and peer
discussion.
CONCLUSION
Leadership development that included empowering leadership and job crafting
education led to measurable improvements in leaders’ behaviors and overall
wellbeing. This intervention’s scalable design supports adaptation across
disciplines and career stages, fostering healthier, more empowering work
environments.
Presentation Tag(s)
Student Presentation