Focus Areas

Leaders throughout every organization and industry are tasked with developing and leading high-performance teams, bringing different individuals together and crafting processes to coordinate their efforts into an integrated performance outcome. Research by CIL faculty in this area explores topics such as leaders’ use of structure and management of team boundaries, developing practices for sharing team members’ knowledge, and creating processes for communicating and collaborating effectively within a team

Organizations, and the people within them, thrive when a diversity of experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds come together to inform decisions. Yet evidence continues to demonstrate that not all perspectives are given equal access, opportunity, or attention at work - particularly those of women and members of historically-marginalized groups. CIL faculty research in this area advances practices and behaviors by which leaders can be stronger allies and create inclusive work environments that allow everyone to contribute their unique skills and ideas.

In health care organizations, effective leadership and management have been identified as essential foundations upon which safe patient care and effective organizational functioning are built. Yet, these skills are often not developed or implemented as fully as they could be, with more attention given to clinical and technological advancements in many health care education and training settings. Building on Johns Hopkins’ reputation for excellence in health care, CIL faculty are leading the way in addressing this omission through robust research and practical outreach on the value of enhanced leadership at all levels in health care, ranging from front-line clinical professionals leading care teams to senior executives steering large hospitals and medical centers.

Effective leadership is needed at all levels of any organization, but is of particular importance among those tasked with stewarding the success of entire organizations. Whether among the senior leadership of an existing organization navigating change, or among the founding team of a new company or entrepreneurial venture, leaders are tasked with finding innovative strategies to meet new market opportunities and engage with a range of stakeholders. Research by CIL faculty focusing on these leaders and entrepreneurs examines the strategic decision-making process that allows organizations to excel and deliver value for different constituents, while also exploring the emergence of new forms of organizations and ventures that positively impact society.

As the world of work grows in complexity and interdependence, the need for reliable performance from all organizations has grown substantially. Leaders are tasked with translating a dynamic, shifting set of inputs into consistent, reliable performance, while also building capacities for resilience into the individuals, teams, and units that create this performance. CIL is the home of leading research in the domain of High Reliability Organizations (HROs), identifying practices and routines that allow individuals to share knowledge, coordinate action, and enact resilience in the face of uncertainty at work.