Question

Define dynamic forces within healthcare and outline why the dynamic forces in the industry are important to professionals. Identify challenges requiring quality leadership intervention strategies. Lastly, make connection explaining how these strategies can help you be more successful within a leadership position.

Answer 1

The contemporary healthcare environment is a dynamic one, combining enduring patterns of practice with evolving ones to meet challenges and opportunities of changing times. The healthcare organization is a highly visible one in most communities. It is a fixture with deep roots in the social, religious, fraternal, and civic fabric of the society. In some local settings, the healthcare organization is one of the major employers, with the local economy tied to this sector. The image of the hospital is anchored in personal lives: it is the place of major life events, including birth and death, and episodes of care throughout one’s life. Families recount the stories of “remember the time when we all rushed to the hospital …” and similar recollections. The hospital is anchored in the popular culture as a common frame of reference. People express, in ordinary terms, their stereotypic reference to the healthcare setting: “He works up at the hospital,” “Oh yes, we made another trip to the emergency room,” or “I have a doctor’s appointment.” Popular media also uses similar references; television shows regularly feature dramatic scenes in the acute care hospital, with the physician as an almost universally visible presence. Care is often depicted as happening in the emergency department. On closer examination, one recognizes that, in fact, many changes have occurred in the healthcare environment. The traditional hospital remains an important hub of care but with many levels of care and physical locations. The physician continues to hold a major place on the healthcare team, but there has been a steady increase in the development and use of other practitioners (e.g., nurse midwife, physical therapist as independent agent, physician assistant) to complement and augment the physician’s role. A casual conversation reflects such change; a person is just as likely to go to the mall to get a brief physical examination at a walk-in, franchised clinic as he or she would be to go to the traditional physician’s office. One might get an annual “flu” shot at the grocery store or smoking cessation counseling from the pharmacist at a commercial drug store. One might have an appointment for care with a nurse practitioner instead of a physician. Instead of using an emergency service at a hospital, one might receive health care at an urgent care service or clinic. Although the setting and practitioners have developed and changed, the underlying theme remains: how to provide health care that is the best, most effective, accessible, and affordable, in a stable yet flexible delivery system. This is the enduring goal. Those who manage healthcare organizations monitor trends and issues associated with the healthcare delivery system in order to reach this goal. Thus, a manager seeks to have thorough awareness and knowledge of the interplay of the dynamic forces. It is useful, therefore, to follow a systematic approach to identify, monitor, and respond to changes in the healthcare environment. The following template provides such a systematic approach. The starting point is the client/ patient/recipient of care. This is followed in turn by considerations of the professional practitioners and caregivers; healthcare market place and settings; applicable laws, regulations, and standards; impact of technology; privacy and security considerations; financing; and social-cultural factors

Health professionals play a central and critical role in improving access and quality health care for the population. They provide essential services that promote health, prevent diseases and deliver health care services to individuals, families and communities based on the primary health care approach. Mechanisms for optimizing the strengths and skills of health professionals will be essential to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

• Support Member States to maximize the contributions of health professionals through interprofessional education and collaborative practice.
• Provide technical guidance and develop policy options and tools for enhancing health professionals contribution to health systems strengthening through the primary health care approach.
• Map the international and regional health professional networks that have the capacity to support global health initiatives.
• Link health professionals worldwide through virtual communities of practice so they can inform effective policies and promote successful practices.
• Support the maintenance and development of professional competencies through continuing education to ensure health professionals are equipped to provide the best care possible

The Family as Caregiver

Although the provision of care by family members is a practice that long predates formal healthcare models, these caregivers are the focus of renewed attention. As shorter stays for inpatient care, or subacute care to reduce inpatient care, become the norm, the role of the family caretaker intensifies. The patient care plan, with emphasis on the discharge plan, necessarily includes instruction to family members about such elements as medication regimen, wound care, infection prevention, and injection processes. If the patient does not have a family member who is able to assist in these ways, or if the patient (often a frail, elderly person) lives alone, coordination of services with a community agency or commercial company is needed. This gives rise to related issues. Can family members be reimbursed by insurance providers? If so, what is needed by way of documentation and billing? And there is yet another related issue: how can employers assist workers to meet the demands of work as well as help the family member? Practices such as flexible work hours and unpaid leave become both desirable and necessary elements.

Changes in Management Support Services

Behind the scenes, there is the wide network of management support services within the healthcare organization. The trend toward specialization increases within these ranks, with new job categories being developed in response to related trends. With regard to finances and reimbursement, chief financial officers (or similar administrators) augment their teams with clinical reimbursement auditors, coding and billing compliance officers, physician coder-educators, and certified medical coders. The regulatory standards manager specializes in coordinating the many compliance factors flowing from laws, regulations, and standards. The chief information officer augments that role with specialized teams, including nurse informaticians, clinical information specialists, and information technology experts.

Patterns of Care

Improvements in patient care services, the utilization of advanced technologies such as telemedicine, and the financial pressures to reduce the length of stay for inpatient care have resulted in shorter stays, more transitional care, and (possibly) a higher readmission rate. To offset a high readmission rate, additional attention is given to the discharge plan. The increased use of the observation unit in the emergency department also helps reduce admission and readmission rate. These issues and trends lead to a discussion of the healthcare setting.

Being a leader is in itself a challenge. The challenges of leadership are really of three kinds: external, coming from people and situations; internal, stemming from within the leader himself; and those arising from the nature of the leadership role.

EXTERNAL CHALLENGES

It's almost impossible to imagine a situation where a leader doesn't have to cope with external challenges. In an organization, such issues as lack of funding and other resources, opposition from forces in the community, and interpersonal problems within the organization often rear their heads. Social, economic, and political forces in the larger world can affect the organization as well. To some extent, the measure of any leader is how well he can deal with the constant succession of crises and minor annoyances that threaten the mission of his group. If he is able to solve problems, take advantage of opportunities, and resolve conflict with an air of calm and a minimum of fuss, most of the external issues are hardly noticeable to anyone else.

If the leader doesn't handle external challenges well, the organization probably won't, either. We've all seen examples of this, in organizations where everyone, from the director to the custodian, has a constantly worried look, and news is passed in whispers. When people feel that leaders are stressed or unsure, they themselves become stressed or unsure as well, and the emphasis of the group moves from its mission to the current worrisome situation. The work of the group suffers.

INTERNAL CHALLENGES

While leadership presents to each of us the opportunity to demonstrate the best of what we are, it also exposes our limitations. In many cases, good leaders have to overcome those limitations in order to transmit and follow their vision. Fear, lack of confidence, insecurity, impatience, intolerance (all can act as barriers to leadership. At the same time, acknowledging and overcoming them can turn a mediocre leader into a great one.

It's often very difficult for people, especially those who see themselves as leaders, to admit that they might have personality traits or personal characteristics that interfere with their ability to reach their goals. Part of good leadership is learning to accept the reality of those traits, and working to change them so they don't get in the way.

Sometimes, what seems to be an advantage may present a challenge as well. A leader who's extremely decisive may alienate followers by never consulting them, or by consistently ignoring their advice. A leader who's terrific at developing relationships with others in the organization may be unable to tell someone when she's not doing her job. Some characteristics can be double-edged swords, positive in some circumstances and negative in others. The real challenge is in knowing the difference, and adapting your behavior accordingly.

CHALLENGES ARISING FROM LEADERSHIP ITSELF

Real leadership makes great demands on people. As a leader, you are responsible for your group's vision and mission, for upholding a standard, often for being the group's representative to the rest of the world and its protector as well. These responsibilities might be shared, but in most organizations, one person takes the largest part of the burden.

In addition to its responsibilities, leadership brings such challenges as motivating people - often without seeming to do so - and keeping them from stagnating when they're doing well. Leaders also have to motivate themselves, and not just to seem, but actually to be, enthusiastic about what they're doing. They have to be aware of serving their group and its members and all that that entails. In other words, they have to be leaders all the time.

WHEN ARE THE CHALLENGES OF LEADERSHIP MOST OBVIOUS?

One obvious - and correct - answer to this question is "all the time," but in fact some times are more likely than others. Leadership is usually the most difficult when the situation is changing or unstable. When a grass roots group is doing well - gathering allies, getting its message across, attracting funding - no one much notices what the director does; but when something unexpected happens, she's expected to take care of it, often in a very public way.

Some particular times when challenges may arise:

• When something new is about to start. When you're beginning a new intervention, trying something different in a program that's been running for a while, stepping up to another stage in your initiative, or hiring a new leader, no one is quite sure what's going to happen. Systems and relationships can break down, and it's often a matter of leadership as to whether the new situation is successful or not.
• When something is about to end. Often at the end of a school year, a particular project or initiative, a training period - anytime when something is coming to an end and things are, by definition, about to change - times get difficult. That may be because of a big push to get finished, or because it's tough to tell what's coming next, or because a close-knit group is splitting up. Whatever the reason, it often takes leadership skills to make sure that the project ends successfully, and everyone moves on to the next phase, whatever that is.
• When times are tough. If there's not enough funding, or an organization or group is being publicly criticized, for instance, its leader usually has to try to solve the problem in some way: find money, reduce expenses, defuse the attacks. Leaders are tested when times are difficult.
• During transitions. There are many ways in which a group can be in transition. It may go - because of a grant or because of other circumstances - from a loosely organized, grass roots collective to a much more formally structured organization. It might grow quickly...even too quickly. It might be losing some key people, or changing leaders. One of the most difficult tasks a leader faces is trying to keep a group stable through a period of change.

In order to improve overall effectiveness, professionals in leadership roles should take the time to hone their relevant skills and adjust their style to suit the needs of their teams. Read on to learn about some of the common approaches effective leaders use to keep their teams motivated, and how you can apply them to your work.

Tip #1: Lead By Example

According to a recent study, one of the largest leadership challenges is managing change and innovation. Effective leaders are able to motivate their co-workers and guide their organizations to success by being the first to embrace these changes in the workplace, no matter how big or small they seem.

When adopting new policies or procedures, for example, it’s important to support the changes and keep your attitude as positive as possible, as your team is likely to adopt—or at least internalize—your mindset. If positivity is not an option regarding the issue at hand, be sure to at least craft your response to the change before addressing it with your team in order to maintain professionalism and instill a sense of confidence for the future. Both approaches allow you to set the standards for how your employees should react which, in turn, allows you to guide them toward embracing the change themselves.

Tip #2: Welcome Failure

Failure is a crucial stepping-stone toward success. Not every decision you make will result in a positive outcome; it’s important that, as a leader, you can both acknowledge and accept this early on. The key to growing from a good leader into a great one is learning how to appreciate that failure can also often lead to bigger achievements when it’s embraced rather than hidden from.

In a situation of failure, it’s important that you take responsibility for the problem and be honest about what went wrong. An inaccurate representation of the issue affects everyone on your team, and your co-workers will value your honesty. In fact, a recent study found that 61 percent of employees viewed admitting mistakes as one of the most important traits among effective leaders.

61 percent of employees viewed admitting mistakes as one of the most important traits among effective leaders.

When failure happens—such as an assignment that went over budget or an important deadline that was missed—meet with your team and discuss where the problem occurred and how to avoid it in the future. This discussion can also lead to a better understanding of difficult patterns affecting your group’s efficiency—such as unproductive meetings or a lack of one-on-one time with individual team members—and give you the opportunity to address those patterns in real-time.

Tip #3: Put Your People First

Most effective leaders know the benefit of approaching their work from a people-centric perspective. By taking the time to know your team and understand their individual work styles, goals, and personalities, you will not only develop better strategies for management, but will also create an environment in which your team feels heard, respected, and cared for.

You can best achieve this type of relationship with those you lead by keeping your communication open, clear, and honest, consistently recognizing everyone’s contributions and accomplishments, and by always looking for opportunities that can help them develop and succeed.

Remember: Respect is mutual, and effective leaders know how to put in the time necessary to earn it from their teams.CLICK TO TWEET

Tip #4: Be Decisive

Being decisive means having the capacity to make decisions in an efficient manner in order to achieve a result. Each situation you will be faced with as a leader has a number of potential solutions, and when it comes time to make a final decision, you should be confident in your ability to guide the team toward the proper outcome.

Effective leaders also do not hesitate when it comes time to act or make these impactful decisions. They have the ability to inspire a shared vision among colleagues (an important aspect of leadership, considering it is easier to be decisive when your team shares a common goal) and stay true to that vision even when faced with difficult circumstances.

Tip #5: Know When to Delegate (And When to Jump In)

Efficiency isn’t just about changing priorities or working on projects in a new order. As an effective leader, it’s important to know when to delegate tasks, and when to complete them yourself. Assigning responsibilities in this way will allow you to decrease your workload, which helps you focus on the most crucial tasks you need to complete.

Before delegating a task, ask yourself:

• Is there another person who has or can be given the necessary information or skills to complete the assignment?
• Does the job provide an opportunity to build and develop a teammate’s skill set?
• Is this an assignment that will happen again in the future?
• Is there enough time to delegate the task efficiently?
• Is there any reason why I shouldn’t delegate this job?
• Is it critical that I do it myself?

Tip #6: Respect Your Co-workers’ Opinions

The more diverse your workplace, the more innovative your organization can be. Your co-workers may approach a situation from a different perspective or background, so it’s important to always remain respectful of their opinions and to try to see things from their various points of view. Effective leaders can accomplish this by encouraging feedback among colleagues and keeping lines of communication open within their team. A collaborative environment where your group’s opinions are heard—even if they are disagreed upon—is where the best ideas are formed and where innovation takes place.

Tip #7: Practice Effective Communication

As mentioned in many of these tips, communication is a key aspect of effective leadership. It can not only help you stay abreast of your team’s needs but can also promote effective partnerships between employees themselves.

To achieve effective communication, you should:

• Start with what’s important: Start any discussion with what’s most important at hand, making sure that employees understand the context of the conversation so that they can follow up with any questions.
• Set expectations early: Communicate upfront about what you expect from your team. Get to know what other people need early so that you can meet their expectations—and they can meet yours.
• Actively listen: Effective leaders don’t just talk, they listen. Active listening helps build rapport and creates stronger relationships. Be focused on what your employees are saying, and take note of their nonverbal communication, such as eye contact, body language, and posture, as well.
• Provide constructive feedback: Criticism doesn’t have to be negative and, when handled appropriately, it can actually have a positive impact on professional growth. When delivering feedback, be specific. Explain why you don’t like something and how they can change their approach in the future to better align with your expectations. Make sure your tone isn’t overly critical or condescending, and feel free to restate your colleague’s value to your company when needed. Let them know that you’re offering this feedback because you want to see them succeed, not because you want to call them out for a mistake.
• Address concerns immediately and in-person: Issues will inevitably arise. The sooner you address the problem, the faster you can prevent it from affecting your co-workers—and becoming an even larger issue. Always address the concern in-person to avoid alienating colleagues or having them misinterpret what you’re saying, as well.

In order to improve overall effectiveness, professionals in leadership roles should take the time to hone their relevant skills and adjust their style to suit the needs of their teams. Read on to learn about some of the common approaches effective leaders use to keep their teams motivated, and how you can apply them to your work.

Tip #1: Lead By Example

According to a recent study, one of the largest leadership challenges is managing change and innovation. Effective leaders are able to motivate their co-workers and guide their organizations to success by being the first to embrace these changes in the workplace, no matter how big or small they seem.

When adopting new policies or procedures, for example, it’s important to support the changes and keep your attitude as positive as possible, as your team is likely to adopt—or at least internalize—your mindset. If positivity is not an option regarding the issue at hand, be sure to at least craft your response to the change before addressing it with your team in order to maintain professionalism and instill a sense of confidence for the future. Both approaches allow you to set the standards for how your employees should react which, in turn, allows you to guide them toward embracing the change themselves.

Tip #2: Welcome Failure

Failure is a crucial stepping-stone toward success. Not every decision you make will result in a positive outcome; it’s important that, as a leader, you can both acknowledge and accept this early on. The key to growing from a good leader into a great one is learning how to appreciate that failure can also often lead to bigger achievements when it’s embraced rather than hidden from.

In a situation of failure, it’s important that you take responsibility for the problem and be honest about what went wrong. An inaccurate representation of the issue affects everyone on your team, and your co-workers will value your honesty. In fact, a recent study found that 61 percent of employees viewed admitting mistakes as one of the most important traits among effective leaders.

When failure happens—such as an assignment that went over budget or an important deadline that was missed—meet with your team and discuss where the problem occurred and how to avoid it in the future. This discussion can also lead to a better understanding of difficult patterns affecting your group’s efficiency—such as unproductive meetings or a lack of one-on-one time with individual team members—and give you the opportunity to address those patterns in real-time.

Tip #3: Put Your People First

Most effective leaders know the benefit of approaching their work from a people-centric perspective. By taking the time to know your team and understand their individual work styles, goals, and personalities, you will not only develop better strategies for management, but will also create an environment in which your team feels heard, respected, and cared for.

You can best achieve this type of relationship with those you lead by keeping your communication open, clear, and honest, consistently recognizing everyone’s contributions and accomplishments, and by always looking for opportunities that can help them develop and succeed.

Tip #4: Be Decisive

Being decisive means having the capacity to make decisions in an efficient manner in order to achieve a result. Each situation you will be faced with as a leader has a number of potential solutions, and when it comes time to make a final decision, you should be confident in your ability to guide the team toward the proper outcome.

Effective leaders also do not hesitate when it comes time to act or make these impactful decisions. They have the ability to inspire a shared vision among colleagues (an important aspect of leadership, considering it is easier to be decisive when your team shares a common goal) and stay true to that vision even when faced with difficult circumstances.

Tip #5: Know When to Delegate (And When to Jump In)

Efficiency isn’t just about changing priorities or working on projects in a new order. As an effective leader, it’s important to know when to delegate tasks, and when to complete them yourself. Assigning responsibilities in this way will allow you to decrease your workload, which helps you focus on the most crucial tasks you need to complete.

Before delegating a task, ask yourself:

• Is there another person who has or can be given the necessary information or skills to complete the assignment?
• Does the job provide an opportunity to build and develop a teammate’s skill set?
• Is this an assignment that will happen again in the future?
• Is there enough time to delegate the task efficiently?
• Is there any reason why I shouldn’t delegate this job?
• Is it critical that I do it myself?

Tip #6: Respect Your Co-workers’ Opinions

The more diverse your workplace, the more innovative your organization can be. Your co-workers may approach a situation from a different perspective or background, so it’s important to always remain respectful of their opinions and to try to see things from their various points of view. Effective leaders can accomplish this by encouraging feedback among colleagues and keeping lines of communication open within their team. A collaborative environment where your group’s opinions are heard—even if they are disagreed upon—is where the best ideas are formed and where innovation takes place.

Tip #7: Practice Effective Communication

As mentioned in many of these tips, communication is a key aspect of effective leadership. It can not only help you stay abreast of your team’s needs but can also promote effective partnerships between employees themselves.

To achieve effective communication, you should:

• Start with what’s important: Start any discussion with what’s most important at hand, making sure that employees understand the context of the conversation so that they can follow up with any questions.
• Set expectations early: Communicate upfront about what you expect from your team. Get to know what other people need early so that you can meet their expectations—and they can meet yours.
• Actively listen: Effective leaders don’t just talk, they listen. Active listening helps build rapport and creates stronger relationships. Be focused on what your employees are saying, and take note of their nonverbal communication, such as eye contact, body language, and posture, as well.
• Provide constructive feedback: Criticism doesn’t have to be negative and, when handled appropriately, it can actually have a positive impact on professional growth. When delivering feedback, be specific. Explain why you don’t like something and how they can change their approach in the future to better align with your expectations. Make sure your tone isn’t overly critical or condescending, and feel free to restate your colleague’s value to your company when needed. Let them know that you’re offering this feedback because you want to see them succeed, not because you want to call them out for a mistake.
• Address concerns immediately and in-person: Issues will inevitably arise. The sooner you address the problem, the faster you can prevent it from affecting your co-workers—and becoming an even larger issue. Always address the concern in-person to avoid alienating colleagues or having them misinterpret what you’re saying, as well.

Tip #8: Explore Further Leadership Development Opportunities

Those looking to embrace these strategies and become an effective leader should also consider continuing their education with an advanced degree. Programs like Northeastern’s Master of Science in Leadership offer opportunities for individuals from a variety of professional backgrounds to come together under the guidance of industry professionals to develop the skills and approaches to leadership needed to effectively manage teams in workplaces today. Students in Northeastern’s program also have the opportunity to tailor their courses to fit their unique industry by declaring a concentration in one of seven areas, including:

• Health Management
• Human Resources
• Leading and Managing Technical Projects
• Nonprofit Management
• Organizational Communication
• Project Management
• Sport in Social Change

By pursuing a graduate degree in leadership, students are able to apply their knowledge to their current work. Additionally, many students advance in their careers because of their elevated leadership abilities and hands-on learning opportunities they obtained during the program.

Explore all that the Master of Science in Leadership degree at Northeastern has to offer, then download our free e-book at the link below to learn more about the steps you can take to become an effective leader today.