Evaluating virtual and in-person leadership development delivery in healthcare

Background The COVID-19 pandemic introduced a paradigm shift in the delivery of leadership development. Development efforts previously conducted in face-to-face settings were required to transition to virtual delivery. This shift sets new standards for leadership development, though it is imperative to ensure equivalent effectiveness across delivery modalities. Methods Participant experience was compared across two leadership development courses, both of which were offered in two different modalities: one offered virtual and in-person and the second offered hybrid/mixed and in-person. Post-programme surveys were used to capture participant experience through 27 multiple choice items. Results Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare virtual and in-person survey responses. Overall, participant perceptions of course effectiveness and satisfaction were high across all modalities. Notably, few significant differences were detected; differences between six items reached typical thresholds for statistical significance, where in-person responses were slightly more positive than hybrid/mixed. Conclusions Findings indicate the transition from in-person to online leadership development programming did not detrimentally impact participants’ developmental experiences. The current study focused on post-programme self-reported participant experiences; future research should examine differences in learner transfer and organisational outcomes. Flexible modality delivery may offer worthwhile benefits for developing healthcare leaders.