Effective leadership is seen as being extremely challenging especially in the healthcare industry (GABA 2013). As correctly explained by Gaba, the most evident characteristics of healthcare, which makes it different from other industries, is that it is not feasible yet to construct the units (human beings) we work on and we don’t have a complete instruction manual either. Moreover, even if new discoveries are made, trying to understand the human being, medicine, is still working on an empirical basis by trial and error. Nobody fully understands, how the human body is functioning or why it is not functioning in some cases.
Concerning a generalised and contemporary definition of leadership; leadership is “the process (act) of influencing the …show more content…
Three important terms should be included in this definition: Person, meaning the personality and qualities of the leader himself, Position, structured within the organisation and Process, compromising social interactions between employees (Hartley, Benington 2010).
Furthermore, it seems essential to consider some of the main concepts of various leadership theories to better understand how leadership influences healthcare institutions. Most authors (Berenson, Ginsburg et al. 2006, Leggat, Balding 2013, Hartley, Benington 2010) agree on applying the transformational leadership concept for healthcare. “Transformational leadership emphasizes the need to inspire others with a strategic purpose. It is based on how leaders interact with others, rather than on abstract qualities in isolation. The approach, by focusing on style, implies that many of the behaviors can be learnt, fostered and developed” (Hartley, …show more content…
First of all, many theories about organisations exist and it would be mistaken to support only one to describe the right organisational structure. One of the first milestone theories was developed by Weber (1864 – 1920), a German sociologist (Anter, Tribe et al. 2014), it can, until today, be partly transposed to healthcare institutions. Weber thinks of an organisation as a bureaucracy and considers as key points, amongst others, clear lines of authority, with specialised division of work (roles) and acting by following written rules of conduct. The collective aim is high efficiency. He points to the importance of expert training for officials and thinks that promotion should depend on technical qualifications and achievement, both judged by the organisation itself. Even if Weber’s model was established in around 1900, it still seems up to date and relevant for healthcare organisations functioning in nowadays times (cf. theory of expert clinical leadership, defined in point 2.). An applicable metaphor to explain the structure of an organisation, suitable in healthcare institutions would be to consider an organisation as a brain, an idea developed by Morgan in 1997. A brain forms ideas and thoughts, and is an ever-changing, creative and growing organ. Concepts usually associated with this metaphor are learning, feedback, intelligence, knowledge and networks,
Concerning a generalised and contemporary definition of leadership; leadership is “the process (act) of influencing the …show more content…
Three important terms should be included in this definition: Person, meaning the personality and qualities of the leader himself, Position, structured within the organisation and Process, compromising social interactions between employees (Hartley, Benington 2010).
Furthermore, it seems essential to consider some of the main concepts of various leadership theories to better understand how leadership influences healthcare institutions. Most authors (Berenson, Ginsburg et al. 2006, Leggat, Balding 2013, Hartley, Benington 2010) agree on applying the transformational leadership concept for healthcare. “Transformational leadership emphasizes the need to inspire others with a strategic purpose. It is based on how leaders interact with others, rather than on abstract qualities in isolation. The approach, by focusing on style, implies that many of the behaviors can be learnt, fostered and developed” (Hartley, …show more content…
First of all, many theories about organisations exist and it would be mistaken to support only one to describe the right organisational structure. One of the first milestone theories was developed by Weber (1864 – 1920), a German sociologist (Anter, Tribe et al. 2014), it can, until today, be partly transposed to healthcare institutions. Weber thinks of an organisation as a bureaucracy and considers as key points, amongst others, clear lines of authority, with specialised division of work (roles) and acting by following written rules of conduct. The collective aim is high efficiency. He points to the importance of expert training for officials and thinks that promotion should depend on technical qualifications and achievement, both judged by the organisation itself. Even if Weber’s model was established in around 1900, it still seems up to date and relevant for healthcare organisations functioning in nowadays times (cf. theory of expert clinical leadership, defined in point 2.). An applicable metaphor to explain the structure of an organisation, suitable in healthcare institutions would be to consider an organisation as a brain, an idea developed by Morgan in 1997. A brain forms ideas and thoughts, and is an ever-changing, creative and growing organ. Concepts usually associated with this metaphor are learning, feedback, intelligence, knowledge and networks,