Effective Leadership in Health: Importance and Styles

Running head: EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP IN HEALTH
EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP IN HEALTH
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EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP IN HEALTH
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Introduction
Studies in number of industries particularly in healthcare suggest that leadership is
identified as critical element in organizational effectiveness. Ginter, Duncan and Swayne (2018)
mention that disciplined effectual leaders are essential for moving organizations from ‘good’ to
‘great’. These types of leaders enable healthcare organizations to employ the right leader and
develop an effectual strategy and efficiently create well-organized culture focused on
establishing improved performance. The combined clinical as well as organizational
confrontations which tend to submerge healthcare organizations on regular basis, thus call for
robust leaders in all domains and levels. Henney (2017) has claimed that great leaders tend to be
transformational who exhibit great competence of motivating and empowering their followers.
Studies have further expressed that organizational vision, purpose align with values and
principles, thus establishing trust and stimulate subordinates to attain organizational objectives.
Moreover, as per Batterham, Hawkins, Collins and Buchbinder et al. (2016) it is highly
imperative for healthcare organizations to select leaders who follow appropriate forms of
leadership styles to manage complexities and competitiveness which tend to prevail in settings
which give rise to staff conflicts, lack of work enthusiasm, lack of appropriate skills and
competences and management capacity. The following paper aims to evaluate importance of
leadership and appropriate leadership styles in Healthcare organizations to offer exceptional
health service delivery. In addition to this, the paper will provide reflective piece explaining
experience and importance of leadership in health care setting.

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Discussion
Need of Leadership in Australian Healthcare Setting
The Australian government has a constitutional directive to perform its functions in
highly effectual and efficient method, thus requiring financial aids in capacity building and skill
development for public servants to contribute to the direct and operative performance of
administrative units. Studies mention that health care service provision at provincial healthcare
organizations in Australia and its suburban localities are in dire need of immediate reforms as the
incapacity of many hospitals to provide equality quality health services delivery in relation to
Australian Constitution and Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights (World Health
Organization, 2015). Moreover, it is highly crucial that Australian Department of Health
implement effective leadership standards for prospective development of healthcare leaders. A
comprehensive understanding of leadership principles in Australian regional hospitals and its
submission could improve service delivery enterprises in healthcare organizations. According to
Chukmaitov, Harless, Bazzoli and Carretta et al. (2015), leadership has been recognized as
significant driver of quality health care results, patient safety and motivated personnel. On the
other hand, Browne, Varcoe, Lavoie and Smye et al. (2016) have identified that number of
challenges vis-à-vis both public and private hospitals in Australia which negatively influence
health service delivery of these hospitals. As per studies, the Australian Department of Health in
2015 has revealed that leadership commitment along with leadership decision-making are
significantly affecting the application of policies and regulations related to poor service delivery
in health unit. Thus, Aarons, Ehrhart, Farahnak and Hurlburt (2015) have accentuated on the fact
that innovative leadership-related approaches are immediately required for proper sustenance of
feasibility of contemporary health care organizations and further to facilitate them for managing

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with the obstructive challenges of providing useful, effective, efficient and quality health care.
Such form of leadership is of dire need in public and private healthcare system in Australia.
Transformational Leadership to Move Healthcare system upstream
Greenhalgh, Jackson, Shaw and Janamian (2016) have explained that transformational
leadership as process where individuals engage with each other in a method in which leaders as
well as followers tend to raise each other to elevated levels of principles, morals and enthusiasm.
Transformational leadership has further exhibited its linkage with employee satisfaction and
organizational innovation. Furthermore, Asif, Jameel, Hussain and Hwang et al. (2019), mention
that transformational leadership theory relies significantly on change. The leaders who incline
towards this particular approach have been referred as change agents who practice their
potentials and dispositions with an aim of stimulating their followers to attain objectives, share
visions and further to authorize them. According to Jordan, Werner and Venter (2015),
Transformational leaders influence followers by inspiring and motivating them to achieve
organizational objectives.
Meanwhile, Sligo, Roberts, Gauld and Villa et al. (2019) claimed that transformational
leaders must have proper vision and capacity to establish communication base for sharing the
vision to its subordinate. Likewise, it has been noted to be equally vital for transformational
healthcare leaders to facilitate the whole team for putting forward judgements and opinions
required for generating desired outcomes. As per study conducted by Dzau, McClellan,
McGinnis and Burke et al. (2017), by liberating employees and especially subordinates to highly
transcendent vision, healthcare leaders following transformational leadership theory encourages
followers and subordinates to efficiently reconnect to the primary purpose of the organization.
Nonetheless, Batterham, Hawkins, Collins and Buchbinder et al. (2016)have noted that the