Introduction
The team’s task is to deliver the planned change in the medical facility that supports people with autism, sensory impairment, and mental health issues. The problem is that the bad governance and lack of robust monitoring systems cause issues with delivering medicines, high staff turnover, and relatively bad quality of care. To solve these problems, the organization needs to establish practical leadership principles that will motivate subordinates of all ages to change their healthcare delivery practices. Therefore, my task is to discuss modern leadership approaches and choose the optimal one for this case.
Leadership
In the formal sense, leadership means influencing others to achieve desired organizational goals (Hayes, 2014, p. 167). In other words, leadership is concerned with ensuring change within organizations. Three main characteristics are crucial for every leader. Firstly, they should have abilities to develop a clear vision that will be accessible to everyone in the organization (Hayes, 2014, p. 168). Secondly, leaders should develop the capacity of subordinates for change through careful reskilling and upskilling (Jabri, 2018). Finally, throughout the whole process, leaders must motivate and inspire employees if they want to implement their new directions (Hayes, 2014, p. 168).
The Path-Goal Theory of Leadership
The path-goal theory of leadership is the appropriate theoretical framework for the medical facility case. This theory states that “leaders should adjust their leadership style based on the characteristics of followers and the type of tasks that need to be completed” (Olowoselu, bin Mohamad and Mohamed Farag, 2019, p. 449). There are four stages in this theory: directive leadership (detailed guidelines for employees), supportive leadership (attention to employees’ needs), participative leadership (involvement of employees in decision-making), and achievement-oriented leadership (challenging goals for the staff) (Olowoselu, bin Mohamad and Mohamed Farag, 2019, p. 451).
Two positive developments for the case selected for analysis are job satisfaction and a clear understanding of the goals among employees. Some researchers may find similarities between this theory and situational theory because it also concentrates on the context. However, path-goal theory explains how leaders may help employees, while situational theory outlines strategies for adaptation. The weakness of the path-goal theory is that it puts the decisions and behavior of the leader at the center, while the agency of employees is not fully covered.
Summary
To conclude, it is important to understand the principles of leadership that will transform the staff of the analyzed medical facility. The path-goal theory is applicable here because it manifests the importance of adjusting to employees’ needs. In such a sensitive environment, leaders should not be overly independent. Instead, they should pay attention to the specialists on the ground to make the governance and monitoring more effective.
References
Hayes, J. (2014) The theory and practice of change management (4th Ed). London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Jabri, M. (2018) Managing organizational change: process, social construction and dialogue (2nd ed). London: Palgrave.
Olowoselu, A., bin Mohamad, M.A. and Mohamed Farag, S. (2019) ‘Path-goal theory and the application in educational management and leadership’, Education Quarterly Reviews, 2(2), 448-455.
