Abstract
Physical therapy is an important healthcare resource in the treatment of low back pain that seeks to improve patients’ function. However, the functional outcomes of patients are variable among providing physical therapists (PPTs). A novel approach to determine modifiable factors that help explain functional outcome variability is to examine leader behaviors and follower self-identity in the outpatient physical therapy clinical setting. A servant leadership approach maintains followers’ needs as the top priority, creating follower empowerment and self-efficacy. However, based on the social identity theory, followers must be open to the influence of their leader for such leadership to be cultivated, as measured by their work-related self-identity. Therefore, the purpose of this correlational study was to determine relationships among (a) servant leadership behaviors of clinic leaders, (b) work-related self-identity (interpersonal, group, and personal identities) of PPTs, and (c) functional outcomes of patients with low back pain in outpatient physical therapy. A convenience sample of 35 PPTs employed by a multistate corporate physical therapy organization completed an electronic survey on servant leadership behaviors of their clinic leaders and their work-related self-identity. Survey data for each participant were matched to their mean Focus on Therapeutic Outcomes (FOTO) scores for patients with low back pain over the past 12 months. Results demonstrated that servant leadership behaviors of clinic leaders significantly correlated with interpersonal (r = .65, p = .001) and group identity (r = .70, p < .001) of PPTs and that group identity of PPTs was predictive of patient outcomes, F(1,29) = 4.52, p = .04. The study results were used to create a plan for a 12-month leadership development training program with an emphasis on building servant leadership behaviors and group identity in leaders and followers, which will be implemented at the physical therapy clinical organization where the study took place.