The task environment in terms of customers, competitors, suppliers and the labor market
NMC Healthcare is a health service provider that runs a group of private hospitals in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is the leading healthcare provider that has expanded to reach a total of 17 countries. In the UAE, there are 9 healthcare facilities that operate under its directives. These facilities are distributed in different Emirates. NMC Healthcare customers include residents of the UAE (local residents and international expatriates).
The firm has operated in the UAE for more than 43 years, which has seen it handle more than 2.4 million patients from different regions of the world annually (NMC Healthcare, 2019). The patients come from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, UK, Australia, Kuwait, USA, Uganda, Russia, Kenya, Azerbaijan, Canada, Sudan, Bahrain, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia among others. NMC healthcare also meets the healthcare needs of people from all walks of life who need reasonably priced quality medical care. Given that the hospital attends to patients from different parts of the world, its labor market is also diverse with staff members from countries such as the USA, UK, and Canada.
The company requires medical supplies in the form of consumables, pharmaceuticals, devices, educational resources, office supplies, and medical equipment to run its operations. Therefore, it works with different prestigious brands in each category of supplies. For example, consumer supply needs are met by companies such as Unilever, Nestle, Nivea, Himalayas, Enchanteur, and Eucerin. Examples of suppliers in the pharmaceutical docket include Pfizer, Wyeth, Sanofi, Pharmaton, NeoBiocon, Apotex, Almirall, Geltec, and Lagap among others.
NMC Healthcare obtains its medical equipment supply from companies such as ThermoFisher Scientific, Siemens, Beckman Coulter, Sarstedt, Arkray, Fiocchetti, and Novaprep among others. Educational resources come from SciChem, Lawrence art supplies, Timstar, Morleys, Popcorn School Furniture, and Edu-Lab among others (NMC Trading, 2019). The firm’s competitors include other big healthcare service providers in the UAE, for example, Aster DM Healthcare, Mediclinic Middle East, and VPS Healthcare.
The internal environment in terms of the employees, culture and management
The UAE has a multicultural environment due to a large number of foreign nationals. Therefore, NMC amenities in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and Al Ain have medical experts who are certified by different medical regulatory bodies, for example, the British, American, and European boards. These medics work with the support of highly trained nurses and laboratory technicians using current, cutting-edge techniques and equipment to provide the best medical care and improved patient experience.
Furthermore, to meet the needs of different nationals, doctors within the NMC system can communicate fluently in English, French, German, Italian, Austrian, Spanish, Swedish, Japanese, Hindi, Tamil, and other foreign languages (NMC Healthcare, 2019). Overall, NMC Healthcare has a multicultural internal environment due to the diversity in the heritage and cultural perception of the staff and patients.
The company has a patient-centered organizational culture as shown by its strategy and vision of helping its customers to lead wholesome lives. Despite the cultural miscellany exhibited by the healthcare staff in NMC facilities, these employees strive to cater to the needs of patients fully. Management comprises a Chief Executive Officer, Board of Directors, and Senior Management who oversee the running of the group of hospitals at higher levels. On the other hand, lower management levels exist in different healthcare facilities based on their sizes and number of departments to enable smooth operations.
The strengths and weaknesses of the organization and the opportunities and threats it currently faces
NMC healthcare has several strengths that contribute towards its success. Having been operating for more than four decades, the firm has gained vast experience that has enhanced its understanding of people’s needs when seeking medical care away from their home countries. Consequently, it combines expertise with inexpensive care to reach a wide market niche. The company boasts of numerous specialties to match the needs of its clientele.
Major fortes practiced across its health facilities include advanced orthopedics, surgical operations (spine, joint, obesity and loss weight, head and neck, plastic and reconstructive, advanced, and minimally invasive), neurology, cardiology, gastroenterology, ophthalmology, ear, nose and throat (ENT), in vitro fertilization, oncology, and health check-ups. The company also has a specialized unit known as the International Patient Service (IPS) to customize and enhance the experiences of international patients wishing to receive treatment in NMC facilities in the UAE.
Some of the services offered by the International Patient Assistance Centre in this unit include planning travel schedules and booking appointments with relevant specialists. NMC Healthcare provides tailored care, heartfelt concern, and sincere devotion to the general wellbeing of patients, which has earned the trust of millions of people thus expanding the firm’s client base.
There are no obvious weaknesses in the company’s operations. One notable opportunity is the listing of NMC on the London stock exchange, which led to its inclusion in the premium FTSE 100 index. The group of hospitals can take advantage of this listing to expand its networks further, reach more countries, and target a broader client base.
The key threat faced by NMC Healthcare is short-term work visas for its medical staff. This problem interferes with the stability of its workforce as some staff members are forced to return to their home countries when their visas expire. However, the implementation of a long-term visa by the UAE government is set to address this problem by facilitating the establishment of a longstanding sustainable health care paradigm.
The company’s leadership style
Skillful leaders can enthuse political engagements and social change in their organizations. They can also encourage their subjects to be creative, innovative, and accomplish their goals. The company’s leadership style can be described as transformational. Transformational leaders display high levels of emotional intelligence, passion, and energy (Hoch, Bommer, Dulebohn, & Wu, 2018).
Their focus is to help their subjects to attain organizational goals as well as to encourage team members to reach their maximum potential (Dong, Bartol, Zhang, & Li, 2017). The mission of NMC Healthcare is to provide excellent healthcare services through proper diagnostics and treatments in addition to improving the overall wellbeing of its patients. Under transformational leadership, it has been possible for the firm to achieve its purpose by being the leading private healthcare provider in the UAE. Higher levels of patient satisfaction and exceptional performance in various platforms have been attainable through the ability of the company’s leadership to inspire its workforce to attain full productivity in service delivery.
Other characteristics of transformational leaders include offering support, recognizing the efforts of team members, rousing people’s emotions, and getting them to focus on the greater good instead of their self-interests. Research shows that transformational leadership leads to quality performance, enhanced wellbeing, and higher levels of employee satisfaction compared to other forms of leadership (Banks, McCauley, Gardner, & Guler, 2016). Therefore, transformational leadership is the best governance style for the organization. Nonetheless, the firm can still benefit from certain aspects of democratic leadership.
Democratic leadership also yields positive outcomes and does not differ significantly from transformational leadership. Apart from providing their support, democratic leaders also engage in team activities and encourage the input of other members (Iqbal, Anwar, & Haider, 2015). Therefore, they exhibit participatory leadership. During group activities, democratic leaders offer their guidance and allow the input of other team members. Hands-on leaders encourage group members to take part in team endeavors even though they maintain the final say in the decision-making process. Consequently, there is enhanced creativity, motivation, and a sense of ownership that promotes commitment to group objectives.
References
Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634-652.
Dong, Y., Bartol, K. M., Zhang, Z. X., & Li, C. (2017). Enhancing employee creativity via individual skill development and team knowledge sharing: Influences of dual‐focused transformational leadership. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 38(3), 439-458.
Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501-529.
Iqbal, N., Anwar, S., & Haider, N. (2015). Effect of leadership style on employee performance. Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review, 5(5), 1-6.
NMC Healthcare. (2019). International patients. Web.
NMC Trading. (2019). NMC Trading UAE: Leading FMCG Distributor UAE. Web.