Leadership Assessment - Essay Example

SECTION ONE In choosing an organization to work for, there are many factors to consider. Some may look at the compensation it offers. Others may consider the credibility of the company. A company that is dependable usually receives m ore applications from job-seekers. It seems that the organizational culture of a company affects a job-seekers’ reputation perceptions. (Cable, D. and Graham, M., 2000) Apparently, most job applicants want to work for successful organizations that have weathered the test of time and ever-changing economy. These characteristics manifest an image of stability which is more often a result of good decision-making by the company’s management. The men and women behind an organization say a lot about how trustworthy the institution is. Good leadership brings about a working environment both harmonious and efficient which can consequently lead to a more effective workforce and a successful organization. In the business world today, there are a number of companies that continue to dominate the public because of excellent leadership and management. The World Health Organization is one of those companies. For 62 years, with almost 100 states under its membership, WHO has initiated successful programs driven to eradicating health issues worldwide. It has been the known guide of many health institutions in creating policies regarding the well-being of individuals around the world. Through its excellent leadership and management, WHO has been a trusted and respected institution in the field of health care. My paper will argue that WHO is a successful company because of its good decision-making, employee treatment and excellent leadership. I believe I will fit into this organization because I am patient, hard-working and I have a passion for helping people. SECTION TWO There are a variety of industries in society. Among these industries, I consider health care the most important as it continually strives to find ways to nurture the well-being of the individual. Inasmuch as without the individual, there would be no society, it is therefore vital to provide efficient healthcare services. “Healthcare combines medical technology and the human touch as it diagnoses, treats and administers care around the clock, responding to the needs of millions of people-from newborns to the terminally ill.” (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010) There are many establishments that make up the healthcare industry. These vary in terms of size, manpower and organizational structures. Doctors’ offices, hospitals and nursing facilities are just some of the enterprises that can be found in health care. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010) In Canada, although health care has been a work in progress with reforms made over the past four decades, the basics remain the same - universal coverage for medically necessary health care services provided on the basis of need, rather than the ability to pay. (Health Canada, 2009) SECTION THREE In each industry there are institutions that exist to improve the lives of people. These companies can either be funded by the government or private individuals. Each has its own goals from offering the best luxury hotels and resorts to providing internet services to people around the world. From Habitat for Humanity that builds houses for people to computer giants like Microsoft, Apple and GOOGLE that continue making life easier through advanced technology, these organizations all aim for building a comfortable society for man. In health care, the World Health Organization is one of the well-known institutions that strive to solve public health issues. Formed on April 7, 1948, the group was set up by a need of the United Nations to create a global health organization. (WHO, 2010) Since its formation, the World Health Organization has not stopped trying to find ways to alleviate the plight of the poor and to bring about a change in the living conditions directly affecting the well-being of people around the world. “The objective of WHO is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health.” (WHO, 2010) Because of its nature, WHO’s policies has become the standard for health care establishments all over the world: The World Health Organization (WHO) is the directing and coordinating authority on international health within the United Nations’ system. WHO experts produce health guidelines and standards, and help countries to address public health issues. WHO also supports and promotes health research. (WHO, 2007) Thanks to its excellent leaders and passionate employees and volunteers, WHO has achieved a number of significant milestones in accordance with its mission of providing people around the world better health care. A number of these accomplishments have indeed changed the lives of people. Thanks to Dr. Jonas Salk from the U.S., the first successful polio vaccine was invented in 1952. (Naden, C. and Blue, R., 2001) The first heart transplant was conducted by South African surgeon Christiaan Bernard in 1967. (Hawthorne, P., 1968) Smallpox, a major infectious disease, was eradicated in 1979. (Bhattacharya, S., 2006) Last but not the least, in 1983, the AIDS-causing virus, HIV, was identified by Institut Pasteur in France. (Simmons, J., 2002) With continued research, WHO hopes to control and eventually eliminate the spread of AIDS and all other diseases, fatal or otherwise, which cripple man’s existence. WHO meets the challenges of a rapid and ever-changing world with a six-point agenda composed of two health objectives, two strategic needs, and two operational approaches. (The WHO agenda, n.d.) These are a) promoting health development, b) fostering health security, c) strengthening health systems, d) harnessing research, information and evidence, e) enhancing partnerships, and f) improving performance. From its creation to its formative years, WHO has been guided by two sets of values arising from two strong and opposing influences. One was from the public health experts where WHO’s work was to be in line with the value of social equity and internationalism. In addition, from those who put the organization within the geopolitics of the Cold War, WHO was supposed to enhance the international cooperation but within a limited range of activities. (Lee, K., 2009). The World Health Organization is made up of 193 member states. Decisions are made by the World Health Assembly which is composed of delegates from the member states. The Assembly elects a Member State who, in its 3-year term, designates a technically qualified individual to the Executive Board. The board members are tasked to implement the decisions and policies of the Health Assembly. With an organization as far-reaching as WHO, it cannot prove to be very efficient doing the work only from its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. 8000 people from more than 150 countries, all experts in health and other fields and their support staff, work at WHO headquarters, six regional offices and 147 country offices. These are composed of medical doctors; public health specialists; scientists and epidemiologists; trained administrative, financial and information systems staff; and experts in the field of health statistics, economics and emergency relief. SECTION FOUR “The leaders of successful companies and other institutions generally attribute a significant part of that success to good organization.” (Child, J., 1984) The definition of what a good organization, though, would be dependent on the nature, activities, goals of the company and the behavior of its administration. The way things are run in an organization can spell disaster or success for a company. One of the important areas of good organizational behavior is decision-making. Decision-making processes can be thought of as the brain and nervous system of an organization. (Daft, R., 2009) In the daily routine, managers need to make decisions that may require knowledge of facts or just be dependent on their intuition. These decisions are what gets the ball rolling in an organization. A good decision can bring the company good returns such as that made by Stefan Pierer, CEO of KTM Fahrad GmbH in Austria, when he shifted the market of KTM from off-road motorcycles to street bikes. (Daft, R., 2009) Another area to consider is employee treatment. If decision-making is the brain and nervous system of an organization, we can say that employees are the blood of a company. “If the employment contract terms, implicit or explicit, are favorable, an employee can be expected to contribute willingly over a broad range of activities.” (Miner, J.B., 2006) Employees will be motivated to work if they consider their workplace as their second home. An organization must ensure that the workplace is comfortable and conducive to a productive working atmosphere. In addition, employees should have everything they need to accomplish their tasks – from office supplies to training and health insurance. By not providing employees bonuses, health insurance and the like, they would tend to feel taken for granted while their work, unappreciated. Finally, a high performance organization must have leadership at all levels to respond quickly and effectively to the multitude of daily challenges of any organized activity. (Parker, J. F., 2008) Leaders should be trustworthy and should treat their employees with respect. In return, employees will work harder for the leader they admire and the company that loves them. Admittedly, each employee has his own special skill to bring to the organization. However, it takes a true leader to tap those skills and pool them together to achieve a common goal. Good leadership promotes camaraderie, peer-mentoring and loyalty among members of a team. These values, if manifested by all of the teams within the organization, would create a truly successful and well-managed workforce. SECTION FIVE I believe that, without good organizational behavior techniques, the World Health Organization will fail to reach their objective of making people all over the world healthy. Inasmuch as it deals with so many people from different parts of the world, decision-making should be organized and decentralized to be efficient. To facilitate everyday activities, WHO has set up country offices which coordinate with the headquarters in Switzerland. At each country office, there are officers assigned to implement policies and programs set by the WHO headquarters. For a group of countries there is a Deputy Regional Director who gives advice to the Regional Director. These people are authorized by the Executive Board to make and enforce decisions as long as the same are not in contradictory to those of the organization. With the recorded achievements of WHO, this manner of decision-making has proven to be effective in attaining the objective(s) of WHO’s programs. For example, the decline of leprosy in the Southeast Asian Region by more than 90% would not have been made possible without proper coordination between the Regional Director and Officers at WHO Headquarters in Geneva. (WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia, 2009). In managing its employees, WHO uses a global competency model inclusive of core, managerial and leadership behaviors. These further encourage WHO employees to work more efficiently in achieving the organization’s goal of attaining global health. In addition, employment with WHO comes with a very competitive compensation and relocation package. (WHO, 2010). Also, employment with the leader in international health standards presupposes immediate knowledge for the employees of the latest innovation or program regarding health care. This is valuable organizational behavior as most employees tend to show their gratitude for the benefits their company offers them by being loyal to their bosses and hardworking in executing their daily functions. Leadership is a big thing for an organization as extensive in scope as WHO. Because it deals with worldwide health issues, each leader at each level in their organizational structure must be able to work well with his members. Even a small misunderstanding between employees at a country office, for example, can lead to none or poor execution of health programs. As it is WHO that sets the policies and standards countries must follow in issues regarding people’s health, misinformation within the channels may even lead to gross errors. Of course an organization with as many members having a hand in the creation of policies and programs as WHO has is not free from organizational problems. With the continuous changes around the world, there is pressure on WHO’s leaders and decision-makers to adapt to globalization. Even with its recorded achievements and effective leaders, new players in the field of health care that claim to be experts or have bigger financial capabilities to fund researches have questioned WHO’s responsibility as a global health organization. (Lee, K., 2009). Probably the best solution for this problem is the re-evaluation of WHO’s goals and objectives and the realignment of these aims with each contributors’ ideas on how to further improve the current situation of global health. SECTION SIX Although there are many local institutions concerned with the health of the individual, I have considered working for an institution as big as the World Health Organization because of its international capacity. Inasmuch as I choose to work for a well-managed organization which can truly make use of my potential as a social worker, I believe my skills would be more suited and better utilized with WHO. I am capable of meeting WHO’s demands as an employer primarily because I have the basic characteristics any worker should have. I am patient, diligent, industrious and a team-player. For an organization as big, diverse and busy as WHO, employees should always be in coordination with volunteers or fellow co-workers in performing their daily functions. These may happen inside an office or on the field. A worker who does not know how to cooperate with his colleagues or who does not do his job efficiently may cause important projects and research to be delayed. Another reason I can fit in this organization is because I have a passion for helping people. I think this characteristic will benefit an organization such as WHO because it was formed primarily to help people. What I like about WHO is the fact that its main objective is to help people become healthier individuals. I think this goal is both noble and admirable. Another thing I like about the organization is that it does not stop looking for ways to further help ailing individuals. Continuous research is being done by WHO in their effort to provide solutions to prevalent health issues around the world. I believe working with WHO will enable me to satisfy my desire to help people. Also, it will give me the opportunity to learn about different cultures, different people and the different health issues every living human being should know about. (what I will gain from WHO) References: Bhattacharya, S. (2006). Expunging variola: the control and eradication of smallpox in India, 1947-1977. New Delhi: Orient Longman Private Limited. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2010). Career Guide to Industries, 2010-11 Edition. U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved on March 19, 2010 from http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/ cgs035.htm#nature Cable, D. and Graham, M. (2000). The Determinants of Job Seekers’ Reputation Perceptions. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 21 (8), 929-947. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/pss/3100362 Child, J. (1984). Organization: A Guide To Problems and Practice. London: Harper & Row Ltd. Daft, R. (2009). Organization theory and design. Ohio: Cengage Learning. Hawthorne, P. (1968). The transplanted heart: The Incredible Story of the Epic Heart Transplant Operations by Professor Christiaan Barnard and His Team. Chicago: Rand McNally & Co. Health Canada. (2009). Health Care System. Retrieved on March 15, 2010 from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hcs-sss/index-eng.php Lee, K. (2009). World Health Organization. New York: Routledge. Miner, J. B. (2006). Organizational Behavior: Essential theories of process and structure. Armonk: M.E. Sharpe, Inc. Naden, C. and Blue, R. (2001). Jonas Salk: Polio Pioneer. Brookfield: The Millbrook Press, Inc. Parker, J. F. (2008). Do the right thing: how dedicated employees create loyal customers and large profit. New Jersey: Wharton School Publishing. Simmons, J. (2002). Doctors and discoveries: lives that created today’s medicine. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. WHO. (2010). Welcome to the WHO Employment Site. Retrieved on March 24, 2010 from http://www.who.int/employment/en/index.html WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia. (2009). Leprosy. Retrieved on March 29, 2010 from http://www.searo.who.int/EN/Section10/Section20/Section54_9875.htm Read More