Any health care facility is a system where everything is functioning to deliver safe and high-quality care. Therefore, mission-oriented culture is the best characteristic of the health care organization (Sherwood & Barnsteiner, 2017). On this assumption, it would be highly useful to apply the transformational leadership model to a medical facility, for trust and respect, which this type of leadership promotes, are fundamental for staff job satisfaction and high quality of patient care, ultimately. Thus, the prospect leader may evaluate the organization’s readiness for implementing transformational leadership practices.
Achieving a collective goal rather than striving for individual objectives is crucial for health care workers’ organizational commitment. According to Napier et al. (2017), assessing the corporate culture is essential for successfully implementing the transformational leadership plan. Moreover, staff members, who trust and support each other, will flourish, as John 13:34 says, “you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another” (ESV).
As the basis for transformational management, trust is only possible on the premises of staff’s perception of the facility’s “benevolence and integrity” (Robbins & Davidhizar, 2020). Therefore, high rates of turnover will signalize the weak corporate culture. Additionally, it is vital to supervise how the nursing staff is engaged in discussion and decision making concerning policy revisions, working conditions, and patient’s safety. Only shared governance practices with proactive nursing staff, which transformational leadership advocates, lead to improvements and change.
Relationships between managers and staff should all aim at patient safety. The human factor is considered to be fundamental in delivering care. Thus, anticipating human risks is part of effective transformational management (Napier et al., 2017). Sherwood & Barnsteiner (2017) suggest comparing error rates to benchmark data for the purpose of quality and safety assessment and checking the presence of safety briefings in the organization (Sherwood & Barnsteiner, 2017). Accordingly, it is vital to communicate with the staff to assess the inner culture, pay attention to employee proactiveness, and evaluate the possibility of transformational leadership implementation.
Reply 1
I totally agree with (1st Classmate) on the importance of assessing organizational structure as the most important part of corporate functioning. Working conditions, shared governance, just culture are significant in modern care facilities (Robbins & Davidhizar, 2020). However, I would add to the phrasing “shared balanced hierarchy.” Felipe et al. (2017), when investigating organizational culture models, state that hierarchy culture is characterized as “bureaucratic, rule-driven, by-the-book and top-down directed” (p. 4). Instead, Bresnen et al. (2018) mention phrasing “networked community” concerning modern health care management (p. 160). I believe this specification could better transfer the notion of how current health care facilities function, taking shared governance into account. In cooperation, we thrive, as John 17:20-21 says, that they may all be one, just as you, Father… that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
Reply 2
I find it highly valuable that (Classmate 2) suggests practical tools that will help evaluate the organizational functioning along with a concrete example of management that is the Kovner and Rundall model. Moreover, positive communication practices between staff and managers are mentioned in the post. Lim et al. (2020) highlight the vital role of health care providers’ communication and team-based care. Such an inter-team connection ensures accurate diagnosis-making and enhances care quality, an inseparable part of patient safety (Gooch, 2018). Moreover, Auerbach et al. (2016) state that but for better communication among the team members, death and readmission rates would be much higher. Good communication stands important, as “gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.”(Proverbs 16:24, ESV).
References
Napier, G. S., Amborski, D. J., & Pesek, V. (2017). Preparing for transformational change: a framework for assessing organizational change readiness. International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management, 17(1/2), 129-137.
Robbins, B., & Davidhizar, R. (2020). Transformational leadership in health care today. The Health Care Manager, 39(3), 117-121.
Sherwood, G., & Barnsteiner, J. H. (2017). Quality and safety in nursing : a competency approach to improving outcomes. Wiley Blackwell.
Robbins, B., & Davidhizar, R. (2020). Transformational leadership in health care today. The Health Care Manager, 39(3), 117-121.
Felipe, C. M., Roldán, J. L. & Leal-Rodríguez, A. L. (2017). Impact of Organizational Culture Values on Organizational Agility. Sustainability, 9(12), 2-23.
Bresnen, M., Hodgson, D., Bailey, S., Hyde, P. & Hassard, J. (2018). Managing modern healthcare : knowledge, networks and practice. Taylor & Francis.
Auerbach, A. D., Kripalani, S., Vasilevskis, E. E., Sehgal, N., Lindenauer, P. K., Metlay, J. P., Fletcher, G., Ruhnke, G. W., Flanders, S. A., Kim, C., Williams, M. V., Thomas, L., Giang, V., Herzig, S. J., Patel, K., Boscardin, W. J., Robinson, E. J., & Schnipper, J. L. (2016). Preventability and Causes of Readmissions in a National Cohort of General Medicine Patients. JAMA Internal Medicine, 176(4), 484–493.
Gooch, K. (2016). The chronic problem of communication: Why it’s a patient safety issue, and how hospitals can address it. Beckershospitalreview.
Lim, L., Kanfer, R., Stroebel, R. J., & Zimring, C. M. (2020). Beyond Co-location: Visual connections of staff workstations and staff communication in primary care clinics. Environment and Behavior, Sage Journals.