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Running head: SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP

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SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP

2 Abstract

In present moments, the needs of humankind have become more complex in relation to the type of services they require from the healthcare industry. On the other hand, the healthcare industry has turned out to be competitive in the current global. In that respect, healthcare facilities require their leaders to be flexible and apply the various leadership styles based on the situation at hand. This is what constitutes situational leadership. Situational leadership is beneficial to organizations in many ways. However, the two main benefits of situational leadership are the fact that it improves the performance of the employees as well as enhancing the awareness of the leaders. On the other hand, this will improve the overall performance of the health care industry. Keywords: Healthcare, Flexible, Situational Leadership, Motivation, Performance

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Leaders play an integral part in determining organizational success. The leadership of any organization influences the activities of a group and help individuals to cope up with change. In the healthcare system, the concept of leadership exhibits difficulty since most of the leadership models were not developed from a healthcare perspective (da Graça Batista, Furtado, & Silva, 2011). Ideally, the leadership models have been designed for businesses, and the healthcare industry is trying to apply them so as to meet the needs of the clients and staff. Nevertheless, researchers still find it difficult to ascertain which of the leadership theories is effective in a nursing setting. Different leaders have their own style of leadership that influences the performance of the healthcare system. In this paper, the discussions will focus on the definition of situational leadership, its merits and demerits, as well as its appropriateness in the healthcare industry. Definition of Situational Leadership Situational leadership is a leadership model that requires leaders to adopt an appropriate leadership theory that fits the situation at hand. Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard designed this leadership model. Under this theory, a leader is expected to modify his leadership style so that it fits the development level of the workers in their attempt to influence. With this leadership style, the leader is expected to alter their leadership style but not the workers to adjust to the leadership style of the leader. Therefore, this model expects the style of leadership to change repeatedly in order to satisfy the needs of other people within and without the organization depending on the existing situation.

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Pros and Cons of Situational Leadership Pros of Situational Leadership Notably, situational leadership can establish the stage in which the employees are in and use the best leadership model to motivate them to improve their performance. It should be noted that situation leadership model perceives that no leadership model is superior over the other. Rather, the various leadership models can be applicable depending on the matter at hand. In this regards, where the employees are demoralized, a leader may opt to use transformative leadership to motivate them. This is because transformative leadership is widely known for offering the employees with incentives (da Graça Batista, Furtado, & Silva, 2011). A leader who is striving to nurture future leadership skills within the organization, he/she can adopt the catalytic leadership style. In other words, situational leadership style expects a leader to exhibit flexibility in his/her leadership style. The merit of this leadership style is that it makes the leader be aware of the employee needs. Notably, leaders who demonstrate empathy towards their group will always be in a position to understand their needs at any given time. In that regards, the leader will be able to establish what the employees need in order to improve their performance (da Graça Batista, Furtado, & Silva, 2011). Apparently, situational leadership requires a leader to be aware of the various models of leadership. In addition, he/she ought to understand the merits and demerits of each leadership style. Of essence, a leader ought to understand the situations in which each model will give better results when applied.

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Cons of Situational Leadership The major drawback of situational leadership is the fact that it causes confusion. In situations where this style of leadership is not applied appropriately, it may cause confusion among the task force. This is because the employees might fail to understand what is expected of them in that particular situation (da Graça Batista, Furtado, & Silva, 2011). This may lead to fear and insecurity within the healthcare. Additionally, chances of the employees cultivating a negative perception are very likely. For instance, the employees may think that they are being manipulated when a leader uses this model inexpertly. It is therefore imperative that leaders have insight on the perception of the employees. Impact of Situational Leadership in Healthcare Setting The healthcare setting consists of various medical practitioners. This includes departmental heads and other professional groups. These groups exhibit an indirect form of interaction. The healthcare system exhibits complexity such that a common result is expected yet the various departments work in multidirectional fashion. Besides, the staff is also multidisciplinary. In this regards, the healthcare system is characterized with myriad subcultures that may work in tandem or conflict. This implies that the leadership of health care needs to maximize on the diversity that is present in the industry as a whole. The healthcare might also need to optimize the resources while developing various management processes while motivating the employees to work towards achieving a common objective. Nevertheless, for healthcare facilities to achieve such goals, they need to adopt a situational leadership model since it motivates the employees and allow their development.

SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP Notably, many theories have been put forth to help the healthcare industry to realize its purpose. Among these theories, the situational leadership model has gained extensive use owing to the merits that it offers to organizations. Situational leadership is an umbrella type of leadership that provides the healthcare system the ability to shift between the various leadership styles in an attempt to deal with the various situations in the organization. In that respect, the system is meritorious since it motivates the employees and develops them to be better workers for the health care.

Situational leadership strives to match the leadership style to the needs of individual groups (Wehbe & Galvão, 2005). As a matter of fact, this will motivate the employees in the healthcare industry. For instance, this leadership style provides a leader with an opportunity to align the employee needs together with that of the organization. In so doing, the employees will be encouraged to improve their performance. As such, situational leadership ensures that the leader adapts to the needs of the employees thereby motivating them to better their best. Therefore, healthcare leaders are required to adapt their leadership styles to meet the everchanging needs of the employees in order to motivate them.

The performance of any healthcare facility is dependent on the level of employee satisfaction. With situational leadership model, the employees are satisfied since the style of leadership motivates them (da Graça Batista, Furtado, & Silva, 2011). A satisfied employee would always ensure that the clients are offered with quality services which will improve patients’ satisfaction levels. Apparently, when the patients’ are satisfied, they would wish to use the services of the healthcare time and again or reference friends and families to that particular

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SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP facility. Concisely, employee satisfaction leads to patients’ satisfaction that on the other hand indicates an improvement in performance of the industry.

The healthcare facilities will also benefit from situational leadership theory since it allows their employees to develop professionally (Wehbe & Galvão, 2005). Notably, this theory concentrates on the development of the employees since it identifies their areas of needs and deploys an appropriate theory which would encourage them to develop theory skills. A leader in this regards may adopt the various evaluation tools to ascertain the needs of the employees and adopts the best theory which would create a learning opportunity for the employees. For instance, in situations where the employees are missing some key skills, a leader may adopt the catalytic leadership theory which would help them to gain insight into their respective area of profession. Notably, catalytic leadership is widely known for its empowerment potential and the ability to nurture future leaders. As such, the healthcare will benefit since it will gain workers who are not only skilled but also motivated (Luna & Jolly, 2009). Through the employee development programs that are infused by this model, the employees would be motivated to attain new goals hence improving the performance of the organization.

Why Situational Leadership Model Was Selected Situational leadership model was selected owing to the simplicity and flexibility that it offers to healthcare facilities. As such, it is the best tool that would provide the leaders in healthcare units with the vital mechanisms that would enable them to address the ever-changing demands of human beings skillfully. Besides, the situational leadership theory ushers in a novel way that the leaders can embrace while addressing the various challenges they face in their work environment. Nevertheless, the four core values of the situational leadership model that were

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devised by Paul Hersey were also appealing hence the writer of this article believed that they would be applicable in a healthcare setting. The first concept is telling leaders (S1). This concept calls for leaders to make decisions and ensure that they disseminate the information to others (Lynch, McCormack & McCance, 2011). Basically, a leader is supposed to come up with objectives that ought to be well communicated to others.

The second concept is selling (S2). It is imperative for a leader to ensure that his/her ideas are well understood by others so that it can be supported. The third concept is participation (S3). Under this concept, the workers are permitted to participate in the process of decision making whereby they will make the ultimate decision regarding the idea of the leader. The final concept is delegating (S4). This step requires the leader to be accountable for his/her team. However, he/she will be required to provide little guidance to the employees or address issues (Lynch, McCormack & McCance, 2011). Of essence, the employees may ask the leader for decisions when necessary. Therefore, with this four core values, it is apparent that the model helps in building trust between the employee and the employer. This is key in building the confidence of the employee. Hence their performance will be nourished.

How Situational Leader Relates to Me The situational leadership is a model that helps individuals to shun rigidity in their leadership style. This model provides the writer of this article with insight about the need of being aware of the applicability of other leadership models. As aforementioned, many leaders are confined to one leadership style that they find it is easy to apply in their organizations. Nevertheless, there is no one particular leadership model that can apply in all situations hence the need to embrace the situational leadership model that capitalizes on the strengths of all

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leadership models. Importantly, this model informs the writer of this article about the need to understand when a certain leadership style will yield positive results when applied. On the other hand, it demonstrated the need for creating a more collaborative environment that will see the employees involved in decision-making. This will not only improve the morale of the task force but also make them committed to organizational success.

Conclusion The bottom line is that situational leadership will offer a strong leadership that motivates the employees in the healthcare industry. Additionally, through the employee development strategies that are typical of this model, the industry can save on costs that are required to hire or train future leaders for the healthcare sector. Furthermore, the increased job satisfaction among the employees increases the retention potential of the industry as well as enhancing the productivity of the workers within the organization. Situation leadership ensures that the healthcare industry has the necessary productivity tools such as mentoring programs, performance evaluation, and training and employee development programs that are important in improving employee satisfaction within the healthcare. Essentially, the health care will incur lower costs when conducting recruitment and employee training.

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da Graça Batista, M., Furtado, L., & Silva, F. (2011). Situational Leadership and Professional Nurses’ Satisfaction: The Example of Hospitals. Working Paper Series. Retrieved from http://www.ceeapla.uac.pt/uploads/pms/attachments/7454_paper05-2011.pdf. Luna, B. A., & Jolly, J. (2009). An analysis of the nuances and practical applications of situational leadership in the management and administration of international health care organizations. International Journal of Business and Management, 3(5), 18 Lynch, B. M., McCormack, B., & McCance, T. (2011). Development of a model of situational leadership in residential care for older people. Journal of nursing management, 19(8), 1058-1069. Wehbe, G., & Galvão, M. C. (2005). Applying Situational Leadership in emergency nursing. Revista Brasileira de enfermagem, 58(1), 33-38....