Introduction
The Lakeland Clinic is currently facing a drastic decrease in patient volume. One of the identified reasons behind this is the lack of diversity, inclusion and cultural understanding. To resolve the issue, the clinic is organizing a committee to address diversity and make recommendations for inclusion. As a candidate for the leading role of the committee, I would like to present my vision of the team’s direction in decision-making and cooperation for achieving the best efficiency and results. The present issue includes an ethnical population of a predominantly Haitian community and highly skilled medical employees who are inexperienced in working with different ethnicities. Due to this, I believe that the adaptive leadership model with collaborative problem-solving will suit the situation the best.
The Leader of the Project
The pressing issue Lakeland Clinic is facing today is diversity. Since our patients are predominantly Haitian, their cultural values, beliefs, practices, and norms are not understood by the facility’s staff. Such an aperture serves as a barrier between the medical practitioners and the local community members. In addition, it is evident that the workers’ abilities to work with diverse populations are in need of improvement. As such, an ideal leader for the current project should be familiar with and respectful of ethical differences and have excellent communication skills and experience in leading projects and teams.
The person I would choose for the role model is a well-known physician with more than 40 years of experience in public health organizations, Dr. M. R. P.. Being Argentinian, she has worked in Spain, America, and Caribbean countries, which granted her much expertise in addressing diversity, inequity, and cultural differences (International Institute of Global Health. n.d). Dr. P. is the first woman to hold the position of Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) for two terms (International Institute of Global Health. n.d). With much experience in leading and educating teams, she is the best possible candidate for promoting cultural acceptance and diversity in Lakeland Clinic.
Characteristic Comparison
Dr. M. R. P. is an outstanding leader and project manager with many years of experience. In her dedicated work, she managed to excel in communication and collaboration and form sophisticated networks by utilizing different channels (International Institute of Global Health. n.d). Her primary working principles include mutual respect, solidarity, equity, and cooperation; personally, I align with her views and values. I believe that to be a leader is to predominantly understand others and build strong ties and relationships at the workplace to ensure the most efficient partnership and coordination.
Similar to Dr. Perigo, I am an excellent communicator; in my work for this company, I have displayed an ability to connect and collaborate with other workers, as well as to lead projects efficiently. However, unlike her, I lack experience working with different ethnicities. Despite that, I am fully prepared to learn about and work hard on connecting the Lakeland Clinic staff and its patients. Dr. Perigo believes that supporting local communities is not a one-sided transaction; instead, it is an exchange of knowledge and expertise (International Institute of Global Health. n.d). As such, I will make every effort to learn from and promote the local community’s culture to nurture understanding, respect, and cooperation.
The Role And Approach To Leading The Group
The current diversity issue of Lakeland Clinic involves a predominantly Haitian community and highly skilled medical workers with little to no experience with diverse populations. In this situation, the leader’s role would include carefully structured communication, excellent problem-solving, understanding, respect, readiness to act on unique urgent issues, and practical engagement and cooperation with the team (Nelson & Squires, 2017). Since an established leader and manager like Dr. Mirta Roses Perigo has much knowledge about working in similar environments, her approach can be considered most efficient and beneficial for stakeholders. I believe that this situation would require an adaptive leadership model with collaborative problem-solving.
The adaptive leadership model is cut out for situations with no apparent or straightforward solutions, which perfectly suits the pressing issue of Lakeland Clinic. According to the model, in order to effectively lead such a project, an initial diagnosis and analysis are required (Nelson & Squires, 2017). Reacting too quickly to solve the problem may result in several unpleasant outcomes, but designing a careful and systematic plan has the potential to avoid and prevent the occurrence of harmful situations.
Since the diversity project is aimed at dealing with people directly, the solution might not be linear due to possible conflicts and variations in beliefs, opinions, and behaviors of the stakeholders. Due to this, the team should be focused primarily on cooperation and collaboration: being open-minded, respectful of others’ views, and open to communication and new perspectives (Nelson & Squires, 2017). Joined problem-solving might not always be easy, but it is an integral part of reconciling in a multicultural environment.
Similar to any leadership model, the adaptive technique may potentially have its limitations. For instance, a collaborative approach may face an issue of power dynamics of the organization, leading to dependency and bias (Nelson & Squires, 2017). In some structures, this weakness is yet to be resolved; however, as a diversity project leader of Lakeland Clinic, I will implement the best possible strategies to avoid status manipulation and ensure impartial decision-making. For example, it is achievable by creating a safe space environment and providing a collaborative and detailed discussion of any emerging idea.
How To Facilitate Collaboration
The project aimed at resolving the diversity issue at Lakeland Clinic will involve several professionals whose cooperation would affect other employees, patients, and their families. Due to this, managing such a team would require a leader to ensure inclusive, open, and respectful communication (Morley & Cashell, 2017). In order to provide every possibility for teamwork and reduce member absenteeism, I would implement the use of communicational technologies. However, to ensure such a channel is appropriate, the final decision on the choice of a virtual communication appliance will be made in accordance with the team’s preference, whether it is e-mail, social media, voice, or video calling.
Moreover, since the project aims to build a bridge between stakeholders by promoting acceptance, understanding, and cooperation, such values must be incorporated into the decision-making team. For this purpose, as a leader, I will guarantee every member’s opportunity to negotiate and contribute to the process of problem-solving. I will set an example of behaving fairly and transparently, being accountable for my actions, and accepting differences (Morley & Cashell, 2017). By respecting members’ independence and values, we will build a trustful and cohesive relationship, operating jointly.
Conclusion
As stated previously, research and analysis are integral to efficient problem-solving of an issue involving several multicultural stakeholders. As such, the collaborative team should demonstrate the most excellent knowledge-sharing. Such techniques as one-to-one interviews, using visuals, and prompting conversations with open-ended questions or suggestions can be implemented (Morley & Cashell, 2017). By providing every member with a possibility to speak up and be listened to, the team members will be motivated to share their knowledge and opinions.
References
Mirta Roses Periago. (n.d). United Nations University. Web.
Morley, L., & Cashell, A. (2017). Collaboration in health care. Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, 48(2), 207-216. Web.
Nelson, T., & Squires, V. (2017). Addressing complex challenges through adaptive leadership: A promising approach to collaborative problem-solving. Journal of Leadership Education, 16(4). Web.