During the last week, I understood that appropriate and timely health care delivery directly depends on a team of experts headed by a leader. The interdisciplinary team consists of different professionals, including a physician, a Registered Nurse (RN), a Nurse Practitioner (NP), and so on. At this point, the primary role is given to a health care leader who is expected to organize and manage the performance of the whole team to assist patients. I learned that the key goal of a leader is to ensure the effective collaboration of team members so that each of them would feel comfortable and has a clear vision of his or her responsibilities.
In the process of leadership, it is of great importance to building a strong team of friends. According to Al-Sawai (2013), “within large organizations such as healthcare systems, the numerous groups with associated subcultures might support or be in conflict with each other” (p. 285). I observed the above situation in practice and concluded that a leader should prevent potential conflicts, working on various activities to establish an open and friendly environment. Among such activities, the most important one is the recognition of diversity. Considering the peculiarities, needs, and attitudes of every team member, it is necessary for a leader to identify a common goal and certain milestones on the way towards it. In case every staff member has a sense of mission, the effectiveness of the whole team increases significantly. Thus, I learned that the role of a leader is to manage diversity, encourage team members, and create a strong team of professionals who are able to work in close cooperation to ensure high quality of health care delivery.
The skills approach to health care leadership implies that the knowledge and skills of a leader identify his or her leadership features as well as the overall success. The approach proposes that a leader should have technical, human, and conceptual skills, each of which serves as an integral part of leadership. However, skills are different from qualities or traits a leader possesses according to his or her personality. If the latter compose a leader’s integrity, then the first ones can be accomplished.
The behavioral approach proposes the importance of what a leader does instead of focusing on his or her traits or skills. There are two types of behavioral approaches such as task-oriented and relationship-oriented behaviors. By the very definition, the mentioned types highlight their mission. In particular, task-oriented behavior is based on assistance with goal accomplishment along with the completion of transitional stages; relationship-oriented behavior focuses on help with a situation to ensure comfort for every employee with himself or herself and also with each other. Basically, the paramount idea of the behavioral approach is to integrate the described types of behavior to impact employees by motivating and encouraging them.
Speaking of the most appropriate approach, one may note the research by Wolever and Dreusicke (2016), who argue that the integrative behavior skills approach employed by leaders proved to be effective and promoted patients’ insights related to their own behaviors. In other words, the combination of the two mentioned approaches provided the best outcome possible. Personally, I agree with the authors that the most important aspect of these approaches is their integration, as the relevance and credibility of the study are evident. At the same time, the application of leadership approaches may depend on a certain situation.
References
Al-Sawai, A. (2013). Leadership of healthcare professionals: Where do we stand? Oman Medical Journal, 28(4), 285-287.
Wolever, R. Q., & Dreusicke, M. H. (2016). Integrative health coaching: A behavior skills approach that improves HbA1c and pharmacy claims-derived medication adherence. BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, 4(1), 1-7.