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Course Learning Outcomes for Unit IV Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

4. Evaluate prominent leadership styles in various health care management roles. 4.1 Differentiate skills and characteristics between leadership versus being the boss. 4.2 Identify personal characteristics and skills of a leader. 4.3 Distinguish the key characteristics of contemporary leadership styles. 4.4 Describe health care management roles relevant to today’s health care environment.

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

4.1 Unit Lesson Chapter 3 Unit IV Proctored Assessment

4.2 Unit Lesson Chapter 7 Unit IV Proctored Assessment

4.3

Unit Lesson Chapter 9 Article: “Leadership Styles for Healthcare” Article: “Leadership Models in Health Care—A Case for Servant Leadership” Unit IV Speech Unit IV Proctored Assessment

4.4 Unit Lesson Unit IV Proctored Assessment

Required Unit Resources Chapter 3: The Nature of Supervision: Health Care and Everywhere Chapter 7: Self-Management and Personal Supervisory Effectiveness Chapter 9: Leadership and the Supervisor In order to access the following resources, click the links below. Samarakoon, K. B. (2019, September). Leadership styles for healthcare. International Journal of Scientific

Research Publications, 9(9), 49–53. http://dx.doi.org/10.29322/IJSRP.9.09.2019.p9308 Trastek, V. F., Hamilton, N. W., & Biles, E. E. (2014, March 1). Leadership models in health care—A case for

servant leadership. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 89(3), P374–381. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A367822939/ITBC?u=oran95108&sid=bookmark-ITBC&xid=71653f6e

Unit Lesson Often, the terms boss and leader are used synonymously. However, these terms are quite different in their requirements and effects on employees and overall organizational outcomes. Understanding personal characteristics and skills necessary for leadership is essential to developing one’s leadership style, and one’s leadership style affects their success with many stakeholders. In this lesson, the patterns of leadership and several different leadership styles will be demonstrated in order to introduce the new health care leader to

UNIT IV STUDY GUIDE

Health Care Management Roles and Leadership Styles

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these vital fundamentals. Finally, several health care management roles will be discussed with a potential leadership tract outlined. Now more than ever, the health care industry needs strong leaders capable of removing barriers, skilled in managing multifaceted challenges and the needs of many stakeholders, and able to elevate outcomes while controlling costs (Trastek et al., 2014).

What Is Leadership?

McConnell (2019) suggests that management is often viewed more as a science of techniques while leadership is viewed more like an art form—focusing on the human element. Someone with the title of supervisor, manager, or even chief executive officer can be a boss without being a leader. A key characteristic of being a leader is having influence over those being led (Samarakoon, 2019). The way in which a supervisor applies authority over their subordinates represents the primary make-up of the supervisor’s leadership style. More specifically, a leadership style references one’s communication style, decision-making approach, as well as their overall visibility to staff and involvement in mentoring and coaching. Bosses lead by intimidation, are profit-oriented, and make decisions based on standards and guidelines (Bolduc, 2019). Conversely, leaders lead through vision, inspiration, and mutual trust; are people-oriented; and make decisions based on values. Despite the upcoming information pertaining to different leadership styles, McConnell (2019) cautions that leadership cannot be exacted uniformly across all situations and all stakeholders. Again, leadership is an art that requires finesse, practicality, truthfulness, awareness, and above all, experience. Leadership is not the same in every situation or with every person led. However, the following are some common skills, traits, and barriers to effective leadership for consideration.

Self-Characteristics and Skills

Bolduc (2019) cites important characteristics of a skilled leader, including strong ethical principles, empowerment, and a person who can routinely promote a feeling of connection and unity. No one person can know everything, be responsible for all, or be present all the time. As such, an effective leader understands the importance of delegation and shared authority and relishes in empowering those closest to a situation to make decisions. Research suggests a team that experiences a high degree of empowerment from their leader is more productive, loyal, and fulfilled. Further, a successful leader tends to be open to new concepts and ways of thinking, demonstrates consistent flexibility and adaptability, and never stifles the creativity of their team. Finally, an important characteristic of a competent leader is fostering development of their team. Establishing a culture of learning, appropriate risk-taking, and a commitment to succession planning is essential and promotes loyalty and hard work from employees. McConnell (2019) cites initiative, organization, goal setting, prioritization, and the effective use of time as key skills for a leader. Initiative refers not only to getting things done on a day-to-day basis but also to taking consistent steps toward increased knowledge and self-development. Additionally, a strong leader provides an established framework for their team to complete the work at hand. Organization increases efficiency and effectiveness. It is also very important that a leader’s work is rooted in goal setting. Establishing daily, weekly, and annual goals for oneself is as vital as consistently setting goals for their team. Along with goal setting, developing priorities for you and for your team is supremely important in order to manage the ever-changing complexities of the health care industry. Effective time management is a crucial skill to develop for new health care leaders. According to McConnell (2019), common time wasters include unannounced visitors, meetings, insufficient equipment, varying paperwork requirements, telephone calls, and unforeseen crises. However, despite these known interruptions, health care leaders are usually to blame for the ineffective use of their time. Instead, McConnell emphasizes the need to adapt the way work is approached each day and to control interruptions. A leader must allow for unplanned incidents but also stay on track with the duties prioritized for each day. Leadership characteristics are not automatic, and leadership skills are not developed quickly (Trastek et al., 2014). Instead, these attributes and abilities are learned, acquired, and developed throughout your leadership journey. Interestingly, Trastek et al. indicate that research has shown that leadership development has fallen behind by about 10% to 15% in the health care industry compared to other industries. As such, it is essential that universities, health care organizations, and new health care leaders prioritize leadership development. Clearly, leadership development begins with a basic understanding of leadership styles.

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Leadership Styles

There are numerous leadership models and styles, but some are more prevalent or specific to the health care industry than others. Arguably, two of the most important aspects of leadership performance are change management and employee satisfaction (Samarakoon, 2019). Specifically, it has been said that the one constant in health care is change. Therefore, it is crucial that a health care leader be able to successfully navigate change, promote a culture suitable to embrace change, and overcome inevitable resistance to change. Moreover, many organizations emphasize staff satisfaction and grade their leaders on how satisfied the staff are under a particular leader. Therefore, a health care leader must embody an approach that promotes a high degree of job satisfaction. It is often said that employees do not leave their job but rather leave their leader. Meaning that eventually most employees will choose not to work for a supervisor they perceive as a poor leader.

Leadership Patterns

McConnell (2019) describes leadership in terms of patterns that exist along a continuum from harsh and dominating to easy and highly supportive. Specifically, leadership patterns include exploitative autocracy, benevolent autocracy, bureaucracy, consultative leadership, and participative leadership. Exploitative autocracy is just as it sounds; this type of leader uses their followers for personal gain and does so through intimidation while making decisions without discussion. Benevolent autocracy exists when the leader possesses complete control but does so with a kind-hearted and gentle approach, believing that the leader knows what is best for the group. A bureaucratic leader leads through a total emphasis on policies and procedures. This type of leader will create new policies as issues arise to provide absolute routine and structure. Consultative leaders seek input from their followers but maintain the right to make all final decisions. Finally participative leadership exists when the leader shares decision-making authority with the group and serves only in an advisory type of capacity. Leadership Classifications Another way to understand leadership is through several classifications, like the patterns above. These classifications include autocratic, bureaucratic, and democratic classifications (Samarakoon, 2019). Autocratic leaders are sometimes referred to as authoritarian leaders. Leaders that fall into this category make all decisions without seeking the input of the group they lead. Employees are managed through a system of incentives and penalties. Khan et al. (2015) indicate the positive attributes of the autocratic classification is that followers know exactly what is expected of them, and there is a high degree of discipline. On the

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downside, autocratic leadership often leads to defiance, an environment where talent is not recognized, and a pecking order is encouraged. In a bureaucratic environment, the leader sets expectations for things to occur in a systematic, fixed means. Obedience to policies and procedures is a must, and often this type of leadership feels rigid and strict to employees. Khan et al. (2015) report this type of leadership may promote technical safety but is often ineffective in change management. Democratic leadership exists on the far other end of the spectrum. Employees are encouraged to fully participate in decision-making, and inspiration and innovation are revered. The downside is that this way of conducting business can be inefficient as it takes a significant amount of time just to make small things happen. Further, Khan et al. (2015) report lower productivity with this type of leadership environment but found that group contributions were high quality and group members report feeling more engaged. Leadership Styles

Leadership styles that are most prevalent to the health care industry include transactional, transformational, adaptive, and servant leadership styles (Trastek et al., 2014). At the epicenter of transactional leadership is rewards and penalties that exist in a series of performance objectives set forth that, when met, are compensated usually in terms of merit increases in salary. Failing to meet said performance standards usually results in some form of corrective action. Although the transactional leadership style is said to be the most prevalent within the health care industry, there are pitfalls. First, this leadership style does not promote trust, and it often fails to inspire or motivate employees. Transformational leadership encourages employees to work for the good of the group purpose that is usually aligned with a deeply held vision the leader possesses. The leader’s sole purpose is to influence their followers to believe in the vision, which is achieved through inspiration. The downside to this style is that it often hinders change because the leader tends to hold steadfast to the vision. As stated above, the ability to support and sustain change is essential for a contemporary health care leader.

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The adaptive leadership style centers on collaboration and creative solutions. This type of leader solves problems through supporting the group through change. However, this style often fails to account for the high degree of technical problems that arise in health care that can often make it difficult to solve specialized problems or deal with emergency situations. Lastly, the servant leadership style is very common in the health care industry. It focuses on serving the needs of others and supports strong relationships between the leader and followers. This type of leadership style focuses on compassion and stewardship. Servant leadership promotes teamwork, which is essential in the health care field. Also, worth mentioning are laissez-faire leaders, charismatic leaders, and ethical leaders (Samarakoon, 2019). Laissez-faire leaders are very passive, often delegating most responsibilities and all decision-making to followers. This leadership style may be beneficial when followers are extremely proficient and educated (Khan et al., 2015). A charismatic leader possesses a strongly held vision and is capable of encouraging followers to embrace the vision through a strong and desirable personality. In ethical leadership, all decisions are rooted in equality and that which is the greatest good for the many. Although one may feel there is a clear preferential leadership style that will promote success for a leader working within the health care industry, really there is no one-size-fits all (Trastek et al., 2019). While the servant leadership style often brings about the most positive culture, it does not always work well with a problem employee. In this situation, a more autocratic approach may be necessary to correct employee behaviors. Further, there may be times when small decisions important to team morale may benefit from a lack of involvement from their leader, where a laissez-faire approach sparks the greatest buy-in from followers. In sum, while one style may resonate the most with a new health care leader, it is essential that the leader remain agile, self-aware, people centered, and flexible to have the highest degree of success in their leadership journey.

Health Care Management Roles

Management roles will vary from organization to organization and in different practice settings (Thompson et al., 2017). In ambulatory physician practices, there is typically a practice manager, supervisor, and possibly leadership positions within medical records and/or the billing office. In a nursing home, the administrator is typically the highest-ranking position. Multiple department directors—business office, nursing, activities, environmental services, and admissions—often report directly to the administrator. Conversely, in a hospital, the highest-ranking position is often a chief executive officer, who may or may not be a physician. There is often a chief operating officer, chief financial officer, and chief nursing officer to round out the executive team. From there, there are a multitude of director positions for each main department. On a patient care unit, it is common to have a director of nursing, nurse manager, clinical supervisor, and charge nurses comprising the leadership team.

Conclusion

Given the immense pressures within a health care industry facing challenges, leadership is of supreme importance. Embracing a style that promotes innovation and loyalty and cultivates strong change management abilities within a team is vital. Equally important is accepting the idea that no one leadership style will be the most effective in every situation a new health care leader will face. Instead, developing a style that is empathetic, inspiring, agile, and truly engaged with the work of the team is the key to success. Further, understanding the management structure of one’s organization is important to develop a plan to grow on an appropriate track that leads to increasing responsibility and leadership positions within the organization. Lifelong learning and professional development ensure success necessary to climb the ladder!

References Bolduc, D. C. (2019, April 8). Leadership behavior: Boss versus leader. Small Wars Journal.

https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/leadership-behavior-boss-versus-leader

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Khan, M. S., Khan, I., Qureshi, Q. A., Ismail, H. M., Rauf, H., Latif, A., & Tahir, M. (2015). The styles of leadership: A critical review. Public Policy and Administrative Research, 5(3), 87–92. https://www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/PPAR/article/viewFile/20878/21131

McConnell, C. R. (2019). The effective health care supervisor (9th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning. Samarakoon, K. B. (2019, September). Leadership styles for healthcare. International Journal of Scientific

Research Publications, 9(9), 49–53. http://dx.doi.org/10.29322/IJSRP.9.09.2019.p9308 Thompson, J. M., Buchbinder, S. B., & Shanks, N. H. (2017). An overview of health care management. In S.

B. Buchbinder & N. H. Shanks (Eds.), Introduction to health care management (3rd ed., pp. 1–19). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Trastek, V. F., Hamilton, N. W., & Biles, E. E. (2014, March 1). Leadership models in health care—A case for

servant leadership. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 89(3), P374–381. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2013.10.012