Leadership and Service Improvement - Essay Example

? Due Leadership and service improvement Nursing, as many people may fail to realize is a hectic job much as it is very helpful and productive. Nurses usually have to put in long working hours every day and this can be very tiresome and therefore draining. Most nursing systems operate using shifts. My work area is no different. I work as a National Health Service nurse in a Short Stay Ward. We keep patients at the ward for a maximum of seventy two hours before we discharge them or transfer them elsewhere if need be. We have adopted a QCC drive to carry out the function of patient observations for the first 24 hours of their admission at intervals of four hours each. Thereafter the nurses are required to apply their professional intellect and decide how often the patients need observation. My unit decided that eight-hour-intervals would be quite appropriate for patient observations for the next forty eight hours of their admission. All our patient observations go into the database to enable the Trust note when we complete them on time and when we fail to as well. Failure of which, a fine is charged on all the nurses by the QCC. My unit and I decided that our first patient observations during the initial twenty four hours which are to be done at eight-hour intervals would be at 6:00 hours and 14:00 hours respectively. As for the latter patient observations at four-hour intervals, we agreed upon 6:00 hours, 10:00 hours, 14:00 hours, 18:00 hours, 22:00 hours and 2:00 hours in that order. The rest of the hours are appropriate but for 6:00 hours, which is undoubtedly a challenge. First off, the patients do need their rest. Waking them up at 6:00 hours in the morning for their routine observations certainly does not help this aspect of their recovery. The daily routine at the National Health Service commences at 7:00 hours. One hour is a short time to make rounds of observations on fifteen patients before the morning shift of nurses shows up. Of course, our failure to complete these rounds on time leads to a fine by the QCC as mentioned earlier. My idea of the improvement of services revolves around patient observations as this is our major challenge at the moment. I have a suggestion that nurses should start the rounds but once time is up they should make way for the healthcare assistance. My master plan is mainly focused on the leadership problems we have at the facility. It is my belief that most of the shortcomings we experience at the work area are as a result of poor leadership, which in turn leads to poor formation of plans and hence failure. Therefore I intend to address this issue and offer a better approach to the leadership and management of the ward. It is important that a leader first have that position, but if you want to become a real leader, you have to qualify for that position before your followers will really look up to you as their leader (Bacher, 272). Leadership is something that must be earned. For the purpose of ensuring the success of my service improvement plan I ha handle the leadership issue at my work are.ve a couple of leadership styles and theories that I believe would be appropriate for solving the leadership problem at my work area. Different types of organizations or species are needed in different types of environments (Farmer, 256). Transactional leadership Transactional can also be referred to as managerial leadership. It mainly deals with the task of supervising, organizing and group performance. Assumptions of transactional leadership For people to work y and efficiently and give their best performance, there needs to be a definite and obvious chain of command. The things that motivate workers the most are when they are promised a reward or threatened with a punishment. The workers are usually keen on following orders of the leader. The workers are supposed to be monitored so as to ensure that they are doing as expected. Application of transactional leadership Transactional leadership simply operates as an exchange relationship. The managers promise a reward for any good work done by the workers and a punishment for any poor work done. There are rules and clearly defined procedures in transactional leadership. The solutions for problems are obvious and creativity is not encouraged; just obedience to the known system. Popular as it may be, transactional leadership is not the best choice. Usually workers like to be involved in the decision-making of matters concerning them, failure of which may lead to rebellion. I should tread carefully with this form of leadership to ensure that my service improvement project is implemented and accepted by all. Contingency theory This falls under behavioral theory. The contingent the theory insists that there is no one fixed best way of being a leader. Rather, the actions a leader takes are dependent on both the internal and external factors and circumstances. To further explain this theory; the decisions that a leader makes, the way he solves problems and gives orders is not based on a certain criteria. The leader observes the situation and makes a decision according to what is happening at the moment. Therefore, each contingent leader has their own style and method of working. There is a contingency model, which focuses on the style of leadership and how favorable the situation is. The favorability of the situation is based on three things: The relationship between the leader and the members The attitudes of the members being led towards the leader is the most vital part of getting a situation in one’s favor. It is important that a leader ensure that he is the best of terms with the people he is leading. The degree or amount of the task to be done Here the leader has to consider what the task is and how much is needed to be done to complete it. In my case, I am trying to come up with a way to implement my service improvement plan. I need to have a clear knowhow of what I need to be done, how it should be done and by whom. The power position of the leader This is mainly in terms of authority. The degree to which a situation will favor a leader is mildly dependent on how high or low he ranks in authority. For example, in my case, I would have had an easier task of getting people to do my bidding if I possessed more authority than I do now. Implementing my service improvement plan would have been much easier, say, if I was in the management board. Therefore, should a leader get all the three mentioned factors above to work in his favor, then we say that the circumstances are favorable therefore there is a higher chance of success in whatever task one wants to undertake. The best way to organize depends on the environment to which the organization must relate (Scott, 42). Trait leadership theory Trait leadership mainly focuses on human personal characteristics. Trait leadership is defined as integrated patterns of personal characteristics that reflect a range of individual differences and foster consistent leader effectiveness across a variety of group situations (Weis, 115). The logic of the trait theory is simply that the traits of a leader differ from those of a non-leader. Leadership is unique to only a select number of individuals who possess certain immutable traits that cannot be developed (Pinnow, 213). This view has received immense criticisms; still it is important to learn the various character traits that improve on a leader’s effectiveness to the people. Leader effectiveness refers to the amount of influence a leader has on individual or group performance, follower’s satisfaction and overall effectiveness (Myrran, 70). Categories of leadership traits i. Demographic/ task competence/interpersonal Demographic This focuses on the gender. It is a fact that both male and female leaders are productive I their various fields. Gender does not really matter when it comes to being an effective leader. Task competence This refers to how a leader attempts to perform his task; the approach he decides to partake. Various people use different approaches when handling heir tasks. There is a certain expected way for a leader to do his work. For instance, the diversity comes about based on one’s intelligence, emotional stability, experience, among others. Interpersonal This deals with the social aspect of business. A leader should handle his social interactions with other people in a certain way. A leader should have a good rapport with the people he leads. He should be cooperative with others, he should be accommodative, and he should be willing to consider suggestions and so on. ii. Distal/ proximal Distal Distal relates to the traits of a leader. They include: honesty, creativity, charisma, and self-confidence. Proximal Proximal refers to the leader’s state of mind i.e. his personal skills. They include: oral communication, problem-solving skills, decision making skills, and written communication skills. On average, distal and proximal individual differences have a similar relationship with effective leadership (Murray, 43). Examples of leadership traits Openness A leader should be open; open to suggestion, new ideas and ways of doing things. This allows the leader to be creative and imaginative. Honesty A leader is required to be honest with everyone he deals with. Dishonesty will only cost him the trust of people which will affect his leadership negatively. Integrity A leader should possess integrity. This will help him do things as morally right as possible. It will also help him avoid such things as bribes, and harassing his workers. Charismatic A leader should be charismatic such that he is able to influence people’s actions and behavior. This is very important in leadership as it is required that people listen to you as a leader. Without charisma, no one will be moved by anything you say. Ethical There is a standard way of doing things as a leader according to one’s profession. A leader is required to be ethical and not break the code of conduct. Creative Creativity is necessary for leadership. This way one is able to come up with new ideas to do things instead of dwelling on the monotonous routine. A creative leader can easily instigate change. Intelligence A leader should be intelligent so that he is able to make the right decisions depending on the situation and also solve problem accordingly. Trait theory will be helpful in implementing my service improvement strategy at my work area by applying the various traits that a leader should have. Lewin theory of change Since this project is based on change and how to incorporate it into the current system, the best theory to use is the Lewin theory of change. Leadership is often influenced by the behavior of people at the place of work. Their reaction towards the change I want brought about is what matters as it will determine the success of my project. Behavior is a state of dynamic balance of forces working in opposing directions (Lewin, 62). In my service improvement project, the Lewin theory of change is mostly applicable to the healthcare assistance as they are the ones most likely to resist this change. Application of the Lewin concepts i) Driving force According to Lewin people need a drive. That is, a force that nudges them in the direction that leads to the occurrence of change. A good leader should create a drive to motivate people to accept whatever changes he is trying to incorporate. People need to be encouraged that the change being brought is actually better than the old system so they can at least have the urge and willingness to give the new system chance. For instance, to implement my service improvement I will need to find a driving force for all the concerned parties. The driving force for the nurses could be that they would not be fined by the QCC anymore as a result of incomplete patients’ observations. As for the healthcare assistance, the fact that they would earn slightly more money should be motivation enough to get them to accept the change. Management on the other hand would be pleased to know that all the patient observations would be completed efficiently. After all, the popularity of the ward depends on the satisfaction the patients get out of their treatment. ii) Restraining forces These are those forces that go against the driving forces. They intend to counter the enhancement of change. As a leader one should find a way to countermeasure the restraining forces. This is usually done mostly by increasing the driving force such that it exceeds the retraining forces. The leader could also get rid of the restraining forces all the same if he is in a position to do so. Stages of change 1. Unfreezing. A good leader is expected to find something that will make it easier for the people he is leading to let go of the previous system and make way for the new one. Most people do not like change but with the right motivation, anything can be achieved. People need to be convinced to give a chance to the incoming system even though they are used to the outgoing one. In my case for example, to implement my service improvement plan I could hold a meeting where I will list all the advantages of the new proposed system as opposed to the old system. In the new system, there is not much confusion. Everybody knows what they are expected to do and at what time. For example, the healthcare assistance will obviously get more compensation for their additional work, which is a good thing. 2. Movement This is the second stage of change according to Lewin. In this stage people are more open to the suggested idea and are willing to take a chance on it. Their state of mind changes and this affects their thoughts, how they feel and behavior too. Movement is shown by how people make attempts to get in tune with the new system. 3. Refreezing Here the leader is required to get all the concerned parties adapted to this new system. There should be complete transformation from the old way of doing things to the new way of doing things; as if the old never existed. Refreezing is a necessary step to ensure the success of the proposed project. Minus this stage, people could easily find themselves going back to the old routine as it is what they are used to. I believe that by applying the Lewin’s theory of change, people might be more accepting of my service improvement project as it makes the changing process sound so simple. Goleman leadership styles Goleman pushed for an emotional approach to leadership. He claimed that a fine leader had to be in tune with the emotions of the people he served. This would enable him understand them better and how they feel about his leadership among other things affecting them. He came up with six ways in which resonance can be created. Thus the evolution of the six leadership styles. Management must be concerned above all else with achieving alignment and goof fits (Lewis, 199). A leader can apply any of the six styles depending on what the situation call for. a) Visionary The leader has a vision in which he believes. He should also make the people feel that they inspire his vision and dream. In other words, the leader should not make the whole operation about him. His subjects should be able to feel that they are all in it together, trying to accomplish a certain goal, not just for the leader but for everyone involved in making it work. The vision should be achievable and one that inspires action from people; motivates them to keep working towards it. b) Coaching This involves assisting people in the identification of their various strengths and weakness alike. The leader should play a major role in helping people identify what they are good at especially. Then the leader can help the people focus on the betterment of their strengths. This is good to ensure better productivity from the workers as one works best where his strength lays. c) Affiliative The leader should create a peaceful and harmonious working environment. He is in charge of boosting morale among the workers. This can be achieved by ensuring that the working conditions of the workers are up to standard and conducive for them to work in. poor working conditions leads to poor performance at work as the workers are not comfortable with their surroundings. It also leads to one hating their job. In a place where health services are provided, one cannot afford to hate their job. d) Democratic As a leader one is required to listen to the input of other concerned parties and take into consideration their thoughts and opinions. The people’s opinions matter a great deal because sometimes they do have credible points to put across. However, even if the people’s input is not reasonable, it helps leadership a lot to at least go through them and give them the reasons why their suggestions cannot be implemented. This earns loyalty and trust of the people. e) Pacesetting As a leader one should be influential, that is, set the pace for those who follow you. A good example is necessary in leadership; in fact, it is one of the most important aspects of leadership. This is owing to the fact that people tend to follow in their leader’s footsteps. For example, if the leader mismanages the resources available, the people will take the liberty to do the same; but should the leader set a good example, the people will take it as a challenge to do the same. f) Commanding As a leader command is necessary. There are times when the leader needs to make decisions by himself without consulting with the workers. In this cases, the leader should command people to do as he says, no explanations needed. If the people believe in your leadership anyway, they wouldn’t even think twice about following the orders. All in all, my service improvement project is a good one. If everything is followed to the latter I really do believe it could work out for the benefit of all the workers at the ward and not just the nurses. References BACHER, C. (2007). Contingency theory What are the strengths and weaknesses of the systems approach as used by contingency writers in analysing organisations? Mu?nchen, GRIN BURKE, W. W., LAKE, D. G., & PAINE, J. W. (2009). Organization change: a comprehensive reader. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. CAMERON, E., & GREEN, M. (2012). Making sense of change management a complete guide to the models, tools and techniques of organizational change. London, Kogan CUMMINGS, T. G., & WORLEY, C. G. (2009). Organization development & change. Australia, South-Western/Cengage Learning. DONALDSON, L. (1994). Contingency theory. Aldershot, Hants, England, Dartmouth. DONALDSON, L. 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