Allied Health Plan: Executive Director Role & Cancer Council Victoria

This document presents a plan for the application of an Executive Director of Allied Health Services within the context of Cancer Council Victoria. It begins by providing background information on the organization, highlighting its mission, values, and strategic objectives. The plan includes a comparison between the key selection criteria for the role of Head of Cancer Strategy & Support Division and relevant theoretical learning in leadership theory, formal health leadership frameworks, and strategic management. Responses to the selection criteria are provided to demonstrate an understanding of the requirements for the successful applicant, covering essential, desirable, and special requirements. Furthermore, the document outlines a potential career pathway for the role, including an assessment of strengths, weaknesses, experience, and career aspirations. The document concludes with a section on references. The analysis incorporates transformational leadership, trait leadership approach, and the NSW Health Leadership Framework to align theoretical concepts with practical application in the role.

Plan for the application of Executive
Director of Allied Health Services

Contents
Background of Cancer Council Victoria................................................................................................3
Comparison between key selection criteria for the role of Head of Cancer Strategy & Support
Division and theoretical learning of leadership theory, formal health leadership frameworks
and strategic management..........................................................................................................4
Responses to the selection criteria to demonstrate the understanding of what is required of the
successful applicant....................................................................................................................9
Essential Criteria................................................................................................................................9
Desirable criteria..............................................................................................................................12
Special Requirements.......................................................................................................................13
Career pathway for the role of Head of Cancer Strategy & Support Division....................................13
Strengths...........................................................................................................................................13
Weaknesses.......................................................................................................................................14
Experience........................................................................................................................................14
Career aspirations.............................................................................................................................14
References............................................................................................................................................15

Background of Cancer Council Victoria
Cancer Council Victoria was founded in 1935 and since then the organisation has managed to form a
global status for their standout work in cancer research, prevention, advocacy and assistance.
It is an independent, non-profit company which plays chief role in decreasing the effect of all
cancers on all individuals. The mission of the organisation as stated on its website is “Prevent
Cancer. Empower Patients. Save Lives.” (cancervic.org.au, n.d.). The organisation operates
on the values of Excellence Integrity Compassion.
The organisation plays a significant role in creating change towards battle against cancer. Their
operations and functioning is underpinned by quality research. Cancer Council Victoria is
reliable partner and their associations with donors and partners increase the influence of their
work. They have research-informed policies and agendas which produce the biggest
population impact in preventing and screening cancer and thereby empowering the
population and decreasing disproportions. The employees, volunteers and supporters of the
organization are critical to how they adopt change; they enable the workers in everything they
do. The workers of Cancer Council Victoria work and volunteer to participate in a company
which makes a real difference in people’s lives and is appreciated by the community they
serve. In return Cancer Council Victoria nurture an environment that assists people to attain
their full capability in a culture that translates their values of Excellence, Integrity and
Compassion.
Some of the offices of Cancer Council Victoria are involved with area’s public teaching hospitals,
universities and medical research facilities. In addition, they are also involved with
counselling government and linking with business and professional parties to assist them in
developing strategies to battle with cancer. Cancer Council Victoria has a goal to affirm a

firm public profile and safeguard their independence to enhance their capability to impact the
public issue.
One of the main objectives of Cancer Council Victoria is to coordinate all the activities in Victoria
which are related to research pertaining to cancer and allied conditions and specifically
research into the causation, prevention and treatment of cancer and allied ailments. They
carry out, encourage and fund such projects. Further they work towards providing data and
suggestions and also form, organize and engage in educational programs associated with the
prevention, recognition, and management of cancer and associated disorders. They boost,
offer and coordinate services for the assistance and aid of people having cancer and allied
disorders. They work in collaboration with any institution which have similar goals with
those of Cancer Council Victoria.
The strategy of Cancer Council Victoria is to lower deaths due to cancer and improve quality of life
for individuals suffering from cancer while empowering the society by running and
incorporating research with their prevention, assistance and advocacy aims. Specifically, their
goal is to execute robust cancer prevention schemes for major risk factors that are identified
for cancer such as tobacco, diet, obesity, alcohol and UV. They aim to muster community
engagement in cancer detection and immunisation plans. Further, they empower the people
suffering from cancer and allied conditions by offering persistent, reliable information and
empathetic assistance. Lastly, they aim to maximise the effect of cancer research and cancer
data.
Comparison between key selection criteria for the role of Head of
Cancer Strategy & Support Division and theoretical learning of

leadership theory, formal health leadership frameworks and
strategic management
Various leadership theories come to play a vital role for assuming the role of Head of Cancer
Strategy & Support Division so that theory is translated into practice and appropriate services
is provided by the candidate for this position. The essential criteria stated in the position
description demands effectively running and assisting innovation and organisational change.
Another essential criteria is to build robust partnership working associations inter and intra-
organisation. Transformational leadership learned during the academics can assist in
achieving this criteria. As per the transformational leadership, the jobs are performed by
involvement in a way which will include the leader (Head of Cancer Strategy & Support
Division) and employees that they lift each other to advancement by using the tactics of
motivation and reliability. The appointed head at the Cancer Council Victoria will motivate
the workers by rising above his/her own self-interests, acknowledging the requirements of the
workers and aligning it with the mission, goals and vision of the Cancer Council Victoria.
The Head will transform the complete staff while employing this change to achieve the
different objectives of Cancer Council Victoria. The transformational leaders will have the
abilities and traits of confidence, visionary, and self-awareness to disregard the professional
norms and guidelines to build a multidisciplinary team for service provision to the people
suffering from cancer and allied disorders. The Head will foster a culture in which innovative
ideas are valued. According to the transformational leadership theory, leadership comprises
of integrating and reviewing activities which facilitates the distribution of authority to grow
interpersonal proficiency. This aspect will help in achieving the above mentioned selection
criteria. The Head will recognise other members while planning and delivering the services.
He/she will nurture a challenging and stimulating work culture in order to promote innovative

ideas so that changes are implemented successfully. The Head will further work towards
developing trust between him/her and the staff to encourage enablement. When these
transformational activities are adopted by the Head of Cancer Strategy & Support Division of
the Cancer Council Vitoria, then they he/she will receive the support in enabling the staff in
promoting empowerment and accountability in order to fight the limitations and settle the
issue related to fighting cancer and allied conditions. The Head will not only emphasise on
behaviour modification of the staff while functioning but also on substantial changes in the
regulations of operations at the Cancer Council Victoria. This style of leadership requires
traits of integrity and honesty by the head to reinforce the fundamental values of moral and
ethics. Further he/she will be required to openness and honesty in the communication system
which will help in achieving another selection criteria which is to exhibit ability to effectively
lead and manage professionally diverse teams with regards to business requirements. He/she
will be open to seek feedback and will communicate their ideas clearly. He/she will have the
ability to predict the potential outcomes of the implemented ideas to improve functioning of
the organisation (Cherry, 2018).
Trait leadership approach also compares with the key selection criteria for the role of Head of Cancer
Strategy & Support Division at the Cancer Council Vitoria. The theory proposes that
particular individuals have inherent leadership quality. Evidences collected to ascertain the
particular traits of the successful leaders show a significant link between efficient leadership
and attributes such as Intelligence, self-confidence, knowledge, executive capabilities and
morality. One profile was proposed by Bass which defined various personal traits of the
successful leaders and it was classified in three fundamental sections. The first section was of
intelligence and comprised of characteristics such as judgement, decisiveness, knowledge and
fluency. Second section was of personality and included adherence, attentiveness, integrity
and nonconformity. The last section was of ability and it included traits like coordination,

popularity and tact. So, the essential criteria of post graduate qualification in a health-related
discipline will be fulfilled through application of this theory. Further, another criteria of
effectively providing organisational objectives as a senior level management representative
within a health setting and clear understanding of current cancer-related state and federal
policies and the wider environment consisting of knowledge of key stakeholders and
governance of associated organisations will also be accomplished through this theory.
The NSW Health Leadership Framework also provides the outline for leadership which compares
with the role of the Head of Cancer Strategy & Support Division at the Cancer Council
Vitoria. The framework id underpinned by focusing on individual and team leadership which
is an important aspect of this position. The NSW Health Leadership Framework was
developed as means to gain developmental change in individuals and as a support for the
formation of new kinds of leadership in healthcare facilities dedicated to patient and user-
centred high performance which is also the mission of Cancer Council Victoria. This
framework encloses leadership in five aspects which are accomplishing outcomes,
developing and leading self, involving people and creating relationships, connecting and
integrating across boundaries and reforming the system. These five aspects resonates with
several essential selection criteria that are mentioned in the position description.
The first aspect of accomplishing results can be gained through several capabilities in the leader as
per the NSW framework. It can be done by constructing a common vision for future health
outcomes. In addition the Head can use these outcomes for patients as well as service
contracts to direct performance. The head must focus on what makes a difference to
consequences and he/she must be able to be liable for working and resources. The second
aspect which is developing and leading self can be achieved through exhibiting self-
awareness and pursuing personal growth actively. The leader must be able to form the
required behaviours and values. He/she must take responsibility for own performance and

input to the service agreement. Third aspect which is vey significant for the position is
engaging people and forming relationships. The head can achieve this by enabling efficient
team processes and nurturing development of others. He/she must be able to harness talent
and diversity. He/she must create the kind of workplace culture environment where the
employees can contribute. The fourth aspects is working in partnership which is also a key
criteria for this role. The head must employ an integrative approach to reform Cancer Council
Victoria. The head must be able to marshal individuals to carry out collaborative activities for
service provision. Further, as per the framework, the leader must build inter-sectoral
partnerships to provide services which is a fundamental part of the Cancer Council Victoria
as it works with several organisations. In addition, the framework suggests encouragement of
new insights from diverse places to cultivate innovation. The last aspect which is reforming
the system will assist the Cancer Council Victoria in achieving their desired goals for 2017-
2021 if adopted by the Head of Cancer Strategy & Support Division. He/she must work
towards critical and systems thinking. He/she must investigate and resolve resistance and
other barriers to change. He/she must be politically intelligent and build support for change
(Health Education and Training Institute , 2013).
The learning of strategic management has suggested that it commences with a big picture mission
and vision. strategic management includes construction and application of the
major goals and strategies taken by the organization's top executive professionals on the basis
of consideration of resources and an examination of the internal and external environments in
which the organization functions (Nag, Hambrick, & Chen, 2007). It suggests that it is
essential to understand the overall reason of the existence of the organisation and then use
that understanding as guiding principle for making short and long term decisions (Ayitey,
2010). In this case, Cancer Council Victoria is a no-profit organisation working towards
fighting cancer and allied conditions. So the reason of the organisation is not gaining money

but the welfare of people. It is essential that the new head understands the basic vision and
mission of Cancer Council Victoria in general and of the Cancer Strategy and Support
Division in particular to guide his/her executive responsibilities. Long term goals usually
involve a time interval of more than five years (2017-2021), and they represent the mission or
vision in a tangible outcome which is mentioned on their website (cancervic.org.au, n.d.).
With a clear understanding of the mission and long-term goals, the new head will be able to
develop short-term goals or milestones in order to ensure that the organisation is moving in
the desired direction (Gartenstein, 2018). When the new head will adopt strategic
management, it will offer a general direction to Cancer Council Victoria corresponding with
organization's objectives. He/she will be able to develop policies and plans to achieve those
objectives which is also an essential selection criteria for this role. Strategic management is
dynamic in nature and therefore a feedback loop will be used to evaluate the implementation
of strategies and to inform further planning (Charles. & Gareth, 2012). Strategic management
comprises of the approaches of strategic planning and strategic thinking (Graetz, 2002).
Responses to the selection criteria to demonstrate the understanding
of what is required of the successful applicant
Essential Criteria
The essential selection criteria along with the responses are mentioned below.
 In the essential criteria section several Qualifications, Experience, Knowledge and
Skills are required. The fundamental requirement is the post graduate qualification in
a health-related field. Since the position is of a top-level executive of Head of Cancer

Strategy & Support Division. It is essential that he/she has in-depth knowledge and
learning of concepts related to planning and delivering health care programs,
implement policies, guide the activities of employees, and make effective business
decisions for Cancer Council Victoria (Sonnino, 2016).
 Second criteria is ability to efficiently deliver organisational objectives as a senior
level management representative in Cancer Council Victoria. The new head can
achieve this by engaging the employees of the department for working towards the
next 5 year goals of the organization by creating quantifiable short-term goals which
will eventually result in delivery of organizational objectives. He/she will develop
organizational cohesiveness by using the approach of motivation. In addition, he/she
must be able to maintain a balance between employee’s development and personal
requirements and goals and organization’s strategic goals. It will assist in facilitating
retention of productive talents who can contribute significantly in achieving
organizational objectives and growth.
 Next essential criteria is the ability to effectively lead and support innovation and
organisational change. The new Head can lead and support change through innovation
by nurturing a culture of inquisitiveness, creativity and experimentation. He/she
should promote and endorse shared inquiry by exploring meanings and assumptions.
He/she should appreciate relationships as a channel to beginning, activating, and
implanting innovation. He/she must convey an image of accessibility, flexibility and
adaptability to change.
 Another criteria is developing robust collaborative working relationships within and
across Cancer Council Victoria. It can be achieved when the new head will
demonstrate the courage to undertake and function beyond formal boundaries. He/she
must actively seek for and act on chances for integration opportunities specifically

when working through difficult challenges. Further, he/she must be able to encourage
collaborative conduct in others by his/her own example. He/she must possess the
innate traits to bring individuals and organisations together across system boundaries
to form new service guidelines and opportunities. He/she must be able to investigate
and assist in overcoming the barriers of collaboration procedures and activities.
He/she must be able to find common ground with stakeholders to form new value. He
should be appropriately responsive to the cultural norms and benefits of other units
involved in collaboration. He/she must be capable to control various domains of
knowledge and specialization to productive effect.
 Another essential criteria is the capability to develop policy and influence policy
decisions at senior levels. The new head can achieve this criteria by surfacing and
challenging the existing ideas and patterns. He/she should have the capacity to look
for and implement new information, research findings and ideas suitable to the
organisation’s objectives and service delivery. He/she must derives and stimulates
ideas and intelligence for change based on the evidences. He/she must demonstrate
critical thinking while developing new policies which can be done by adopting a
systems perspective, acknowledging the context, connections and interrelationships. It
will assist in identifying the limitations of the change from the perspectives of
service-users and other stakeholders. For influencing policy decisions at senior levels
he/she must recognize others concerns and interests. It will assist him in exploring
other’s issues and investigate interpretations with others at senior levels. Finally, in
this manner he/she will be able to build solutions that consider the legitimate
requirements and objectives of relevant people. He must use influence positively
throughout the system to reinforce shared leadership for change

 Next criteria is the capability to successfully lead and manage professionally diverse
teams consistent with business requirements. To manage a diverse team it is essential
that the new head must demonstrate a high level of cultural flexibility and ambiguity
tolerance and low levels of ethnocentrism. He/she must also demonstrate excellent
communication skills in order to manage a diverse team and meet the business needs
of the Cancer Council Victoria.
 Clear understanding of current cancer-related state and federal policies and the wider
culture comprising the knowledge of key stakeholders and governance of associated
bodies is another selection criteria. The new head must continue to educate himself
regarding all the relevant and required knowledge in cases of ignorance.
 Last essential criteria for this position is governance and financial management skills.
The new head can fulfil this criteria by having sound knowledge and understanding of
key legislations and possessing dedication to forming good business practice. He/she
must be ensure regulatory compliance. Further, he should make use of theoretical
financial knowledge and information to enhance growth opportunities for Cancer
Council Victoria.
Desirable criteria
The desirable selection criteria along with the responses are mentioned below
 The first desirable criteria is experience working within not-for-profit sectors and
state/federal Government settings. Since, Cancer Council Victoria is a non-profit
organisation, previous experience will help the new head in quickly grasping the
operations and culture of the organisation.
 Second desirable criteria is experience of working in a cancer facility. Since, Cancer
Council Victoria is an organization working towards fighting cancer and allied