Basic Leadership Skills in Health Care Environment - Assignment Example

BASIC LEADERSHIP SKILLS Introduction 2 What is leadership? 2 Leadership Theories and Styles 4 Roles and Responsibilities of a Team Leader 6 Team leader with special reference to health care 7 Conclusion 8 References 9 Introduction Leadership is ever green, immortal and probably the most talked about topic. Perhaps the reason of its immortality is its relevance to our lives not only professional but personal and social lives as well. It will not be an overstatement to say that leadership is that life-enriching and vital experience which is crucial for our existence. Its scope is very vast which cannot be restricted to a single task, job, role or a certain organizational level. In recent times there has been debate over whether leaders are born or these skills can be acquired. Social scientist have attempted to identify the traits, behavior, sources of power or aspects of a situation that makes a leader standout and influence followers to accomplish group objectives. Effectiveness of a leader depends a lot on his following i.e. how the followers follow. This paper aims at studying in detail what is leadership? Different accepted styles and theories of leadership, development and understanding of the role of a team leader as well as the limitations to their authority with special reference to the health and social care. Some leadership skills such as planning, time management, effective communication and conflict management will also be discussed. What is leadership? Leadership is very vital and its importance is widely accepted. In order to understand fully different theories of leadership we first need to have a clear picture of what leadership is all about. It may sound simple but in fact leadership is a very complex and complicated social process which depends not only the ways of thinking, vision, creativity, knowledge, skills characteristics and values of the leader but also the followers (Adair). Leadership is not all about aura and charisma of a person but a good leader is one who can see the clear picture of the present understands it’s various aspects and through his vision can guide its followers to the bright future. The ability of giving hope and direction is especially required in the health and social sector. Good leadership (V.Gallos)is emotional; it compels drives and motivates you to achieve something. It is a continuous process of building and maintaining the relationship between the follower and the leader. In its spirit it is multidimensional which encompasses different skills, vision, process, map, issues, organization levels, cultures, policies, practices and issues. A good leader has to pass the test of time banking on the strengths and minimizing weaknesses while materializing the opportunities and avoiding the threats in the environment without overreliance on any single person or process. The department of health in UK works with a number of partners which includes principally the health and social care system which includes NHS and local government. Various other partners are in private sector, public service and numerous international bodies. The department of health is responsible for the provision of quality and convenient health care services in collaboration with NHS and social service system. This provides strategic leadership to NHS and social care organizations in UK. Department of health not only realizes the importance of leadership for effective running of such a huge and sensitive department but also has taken proactive steps for strategic leadership. It has established the national leadership council which is made up of council members, patrons and fellows whose main vision is to bring the best possible leadership at all levels of NHS (Department of health). Leadership Theories and Styles In the twentieth century theories about leadership started to evolve. There are basically six types of theories of leadership which also define the various leadership style adopted by leaders. Trait based leadership Contingency leadership Behavioral leadership Participative leadership Transactional leadership Transformational leadership Trait based theory is one of the earliest theories of leadership. This theory is based on the concept that leaders are born with these traits and these traits are possessed by only great people. These traits were viewed as necessary for success and effectiveness of leadership. It was believed that organizations should select the right people with born traits of a leader because these traits are part of the personality so they will emerge in every situation and be applicable to all circumstances. Believers of this theory argue that organizations should select leaders instead of trying to develop leaders. The traits identified were as basic as height and as complex as intelligence. The major weakness of this theory is that it is very difficult to isolate a set of trait that is characteristic of leaders. This is the least applicable theory in recent times where the emphasis is now on training and development. Behavioral theory emphasized the pattern of actions used by different individuals determines leadership potential. Different kind of behaviors identified in this theory was autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire. It also included Michigan studies which identified two job behaviors employee centered and job centered. Ohio studies also based on behavioral leadership identified four different leadership style based on the continuum of degree of consideration by the management and the initiating structure. Situational contingency theory was a combination of trait theory and behavior theory. It considers both as important aspects but they must be taken in situational context i.e. situation matters. According to this theory group effectiveness depends on a perfect match between leadership style and situation. There is no one best solution and it focuses on ability and willingness of followers (Northhouse). This style of leadership best suits the health and social sector. Each situation is different in this sector and must be dealt accordingly especially when we talk about mental health flexibility in rules and leadership behavior is required. Transactional leadership theory was proposed by Karl Kuhnert and Phillip Lewis. It is based on the theory of exchange; a transaction takes place when each party gives up something in exchange of other. It is the relationship between superiors and subordinates on mutual give and take. Leaders offer something of value such as benefits etc in exchange of extra work overtime special projects etc. transactional theory is based on contingent reward and management by exception (Hair Dan O). This is the kind of leadership which is perhaps the least suitable for the health and social sector. Transformational theory focuses on achieving goals by more than just communication. It involves charisma, vision, sense of mission, inspiration, high expectations, intellectual stimulations which promote intelligence. According to this theory leader gives personal attention, coaches and give advices, in short individual consideration is given. A successful transformational leader possesses self confidence, dynamic personality, strong conviction and talent of motivating others. This type of leadership is value based; leaders lead by example and inspire others. This is the kind of leadership required and most desired in the health and social sector. It requires a lot of conviction, commitment and the ability to influence and inspire others to be a successful leader in the health department. Roles and Responsibilities of a Team Leader The role of a team leader is very important. It includes coaching, mentoring and active participation. The role of the team leader depends on the nature of the group, its readiness for empowerment and its stage of development. For example at the early stages of team building the most appropriate leadership style is directive but as the team matures participative style becomes more appropriate. A good team leader adopts these roles and responsibilities very efficiently and moves from one role to another effortlessly. In the role of the coach the team leader should be able to guide his team mates and should have the capability of solving rare problems. In the healthy profession team leader as a coach not only provides guidance but also ensures that the staff has the necessary skill and training to solve the problem because health is a very sensitive sector where error or mistakes can be very costly. A team leader is also a mentor whose skill and knowledge level is higher than the mentees and hence a mentor can help young professionals through information, knowledge, guidance and direction (Sower). A team leader also has to be an active participant and lead by example, and whose presence can be seen. The responsibility of a team leader includes planning, time management, effective communication, team building, negotiations and conflict management. Health professionals have traditionally adopted the leadership role (Linstead). The expertise of the doctor has always been valued by the health care organization. The exclusive knowledge, expertise, usefulness and political links which doctors posses may not be the prerequisites of a good leadership but it has historically helped them in acquiring the role of a team leader. Whatever leadership style, the potential team leader adopts whether authoritarian or participative it depends on the nature of the team and the different roles team member has to play. With greater authority comes the greater responsibility. Participative leadership style can be adopted in less structured teams. A leader should be able to form such cohesive teams which strike a balance between “preventing conformity” and “group thinking”. A leader can only make successful teams if he has knowledge of the power strata, learning styles and preferred goals of the team members to avoid any potential conflict (Gorman). A good team leader not only communicates effectively but also aware of the informal communication network. Potential sources of conflict in a team can be the intolerance for difference of opinion, individual goal different from team goal, interpersonal problems etc. A good doctor can solve such conflicts through negotiation and effective communication based on the open and supportive feedback. Team leader with special reference to health care Health care environment is multidimensional and dynamic, influenced by a number of factors. The three most important factors are changes and expectations in society, political influence in the form of pressure on governments in delivering health care services and globalization. With globalization world become smaller and it is easier to travel in and out of UK. Such easy access leads to comparison which can act as a catalyst for change (Julie Hyde) It is a well established fact that good team work and harmonious working relationship helps a lot in improving performance in any organization. The dilemma for the health care centre is that here the professionals are hired for their expertise, knowledge and skill in the health sector and not for their leadership skills. These leadership skills are still required by doctors as team leaders for effective communication, team building, time management, planning, conflict management and negotiations as all these are part and parcel of every job. Hence training of doctors is required so that they can become effective leaders as well and guide their team to success (Mullins). Conclusion I would conclude based on the research conducted that leadership is required in all sectors including health and social sector. It becomes a little difficult to find doctors in the role of leaders who are capable of effective communication, conflict management, effective team building, planning and time management. Doctors should be trained and developed so that they can acquire the role of a team leader and be able to perform the role and responsibilities of an effective team leader. References Adair, John. Effective Leadership. London: Pan Books, 1995. Department of health. 2011. 17th April 2011 . Gorman, P. Managing Multi disciplinary Teams in the NHS. London: Kogan Page, 1998. Julie Hyde, Michael J Cook. Managing and supporting people in health care. UK: Bailliere Tindall, 2004. Linstead, S,Grafton Small R and Jefcutt P. Understanding Management. London: Sage publications, 1996. Mullins, L. Team work in multi professional care. London: McMillan press, 1999. Northhouse, Peter Guy. Leadership: Theory and Practice. London: Sage Publications, 2010. O, Hair Dan. Strategic communications in Business and Professions. New Delhi: Dorling King, 2008. Sower, Victor E. Essentials of Quality with Cases o Experiantial and Exercises. USA: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. V.Gallos, Joan. Business leadership. 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