Leadership in Health Care

Running head: LEADERSHIP IN HEALTH CARE
LEADERSHIP IN HEALTH CARE
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INTRODUCTION
LEADERSHIP AS A THEORY
Leadership can be referred to as the behavior displayed by an individual, while directing
activities in a group having a shared goals. It is the key aspects of the leaders to influence the
group activities and adapting to the changes occurring in a health care organization (Trastek,
Hamilton & Niles, 2014, March). Application of the leaderships skills for functioning of health
care organizations can be difficult due to the fact that in most of the cases the leadership theories
are not made within the health care context, but are generally developed for the application in a
business settings (Trastek, Hamilton & Niles, 2014, March).
The leadership theories are dynamic and robust and continues to be modified with time.
According to the Great Man theory, it has been assumed that certain individuals have certain
characteristics or traits the make them to good leaders (Al-Sawai 2013). Various behavioral
leadership theories were built such as the democratic leadership, authoritarian leadership and
laissez-fair relationship. Leaders in health care aim to use their position to thrive for the
betterment of a health care organization. A leadership theory defines a leader based on their
characteristics features (Al-Sawai 2013). Study of the leadership theories helps one to understand
about the leadership roles. It is the leadership theories that helps to focus on the situational
factors and the skill levels of the leaders. Each of the theories emphasizes on different variables.
Inconsistencies between the actual traits and theories helps one to understand, which qualities are
actually feasible in reality settings and which of the possible traits can only be possible in
theories. However, a workers striving for achieving or developing leadership skills might follow
certain leadership framework for practicing the skills. Again leadership theories are also

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necessary for assessing the potential of the leaders, especially those working in health care
settings.
In support of this two examples can be used. In a crowded clinical settings, with huge
turnover of the health care workers and patients, leadership styles like Laissez-fairre leadership
of the transformational leadership cannot be applied. In such a setting transactional leadership
skills might be useful due to the fact, that it is the transactional leaders who make sure the
objectives are clearly comprehended by the workers, for eradicating the potential difficulties
within the system. This theory believes in the concept of punishment and the reward, such as the
introduction of new health care incentive schemes for the health care workers, those meeting the
standard of care provided to the patients (Barr & Dowding, 2019). Again, stringent laws should
be present for incorporating valid punishment to those not working as per their professional
standards. In such a case a transactional leader must be clear about the distinct dissimilarities
between the two types of leadership skills.
Another example to understand the importance of leadership as a theory is use of the
leadership skills to reduce the chance of hospital acquired infections in a clinical settings. There
are evidence based guidelines for prevention of hospital acquired infections, yet leadership
rounds are the tools that can be used by the leaders to ensure that the guidelines are being
followed by the health care workers (Barr & Dowding, 2019). A unit based HAI leadership
rounds had been explored in a large academic hospitals. It was found that such leadership rounds
can be helpful facilitating interaction between the leaders, teaching the frontline staffs about the
different means of disinfection, stocking up the sanitizers and other disinfectants. These
leadership traits or skills are difficult to implement, unless follow a particular leadership
framework.