Healthcare leaders have never been under more pressure. In the current environment of ongoing uncertainty, leaders are tasked with meeting increased demand for care while improving margins, despite a worsening workforce shortage, declining reimbursements, and shifting healthcare policy. The many challenges are increasingly connected, and yet organizational structures often prevent leaders from working together, casting each into a silo in which little collaboration or consideration of other departments occurs.
Enter the triad leadership model — a governance structure that brings together administrative, physician, and nursing leaders as equal partners in organizational decision-making. Born from the recognition that healthcare’s complex problems benefit from blended expertise, the triad model has spread across the industry over the past decade. But does the approach actually deliver on its promise? And more importantly, can triad leadership effectively address the existential threats facing healthcare today?
Jackson Physician Search and Kirby Bates Associates conducted an industry pulse survey to answer these very questions. With comprehensive responses from 179 healthcare c-suite executives, the study captures current perceptions of how triad and dyad leadership models are performing in the field.
Triad-Leadership-Report_Jackson-Physician-Search_2026Key Findings
- Dyads and triads are pervasive. 90% of survey respondents have experience with shared leadership models.
- Perspectives are positive. Seven in 10 view shared leadership models as essential or strong when implemented intentionally.
- Triads are effective. Respondents see the most significant impact on patient safety and clinical outcomes. They report less impact on financial and workforce challenges.
- Shared vision and regular communication are the most critical components for success.
- Barriers to effectiveness stem not from the triad structure but from how the triad is implemented and supported.
About Jackson Physician Search
Jackson Physician Search is an established industry leader in physician recruitment and pioneered the recruitment methodologies standard in the industry today. The firm specializes in the permanent recruitment of physicians, physician executives and advanced practice providers for hospitals, health systems, academic medical centers and medical groups across the United States. Headquartered in Alpharetta, Ga., the company is recognized for its track record of results built on client trust and transparency of processes and fees. Jackson Physician Search is part of the Jackson Healthcare® family of companies. For more information, visit www.jacksonphysiciansearch.com.
