Operational Management Skills For Healthcare Practice Essay Sample

Introduction Of Developing Operational Management Skills For Healthcare Practice

Considering the complex nature of the sector, the role of leaders cannot be overstated. Leaders assist team members and organisations in achieving maximum performance in a dynamic and ever-changing setting. Healthcare executives are responsible for making decisions that influence the provision of healthcare services and execute the strategies to achieve the highest standard of care and medical practices. The essay will explore this premise to cultivate better comprehension of the subject.

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Activity 1: Essay

Evaluation of the requisite competencies for an Effective Leader and Operational Manager in Healthcare Practice

Communication

Proficient communication with individuals and groups is a crucial skill for healthcare leaders. Considering the case of One Limited, it can be stated that the leader failed to communicate essential information about the patients to the caregiving teams and there was a lack of communication that led to the death of the resident (van de Riet et al., 2019). Effective leaders must communicate factually and comprehensively, utilizing logical and informative positive and negative information as deemed appropriate. In addition, they articulate their messages concisely and provide rational, evidence-based justifications to assure proper understanding on the part of the listeners.

Networking

Healthcare leaders establish professional and personal connections with individuals who share similar goals to advanceorganizationalobjectives. Leaders who possess an amicable temperament have a natural ability to connect and share informationwith otherindividuals (Chatterjee et al., 2018). They possess the ability to establish genuine and reciprocal connections with individuals to collaboratively achieve personal and organisational goals. Individuals in leadership positions engage with others at both formal and informal professional events, utilizing their adept networking abilities to identify shared interests and establish relationships. Leaders at One Limited failed to conduct training and development for the employees, this shows the lack of networking capacity with external stakeholders such as funders, trainers and additional resource hubs which could have facilitated an effective training process for the new and existing employees.

Decision-making

One Limited’s operational managers have failed to take appropriate decisions regarding task allocation and allocated untrained staff on duty. This shows insufficient consideration of the patient’s safety and care quality. Proficient healthcare administrators assess intricate issues by deconstructing andscrutinizingthe discrete facts and concerns that converge to form the crux of the matter (Hargett et al., 2017). This is a necessary skill to take rapid decisions. Leaders systematically arrange factual information and conduct a comparative analysis to determine the impact of each on the specific scenario (Heinen et al., 2019). Through this analysis, individuals prioritize tasks and address issues most optimally and proficiently feasible.

Development of Individual Role as A Leader And Operational Manager In Healthcare Practice

Professional competency can be achieved through adaptability. They need to clarify the requirements of the situation and how to adapt the necessary skills accordingly. In order to become a leader, the individual is expected to challenge the norms and apply their ideas in practice to enhance the stated goals (Slåtten, Mutonyi and Lien, 2020). Leaders must keep on learning and their ability to seek knowledge is the primary attribute that increases their confidence and awareness which they further apply in practical situations to derive the highest standard of outcome. both formal courses and experiential learning should be prioritized by the leaders to widen their knowledge and apply the most relevant skills (Galloway and Gopee, 2017). Individuals with self-awareness and the ability to asses themselves get a better opportunity to evolve as a leader by refining their capacities and focusing on strengths.

Explanation of Different Personal Skills in Leadership and Relevance of The Roles and Responsibilities of An Operational Manager in Healthcare Practice

One Limited’s leadership failed because they did consider their patients’ needs and neglected the need for any extensive planning on their human capital development, did not conduct any prior risk assessments (Slåtten, Mutonyi and Lien, 2020). Leaders have the responsibility of supervising various organizationalunits, including but not limited to operations, human resources, critical strategic planning and financial activities. Additionally, they may also monitor ascertained geographical or demographical areas of concern (Duffy, 2022). These experts exhibit unique skills that enable them to guide individuals, groups, and organisations in navigating through difficulties. By investing time in comprehending the individuals they engage with daily, they can grasp their perspectives beyond explicit statements.

Competent leaders in the healthcare sector acknowledge the role of technological advancements in promoting favourable patient outcomes and providing frontline healthcare providers with state-of-the-art equipment (Duffy, 2022). Leaders leverage professional resources to gather intelligence and establish networks that facilitate the achievement of caregiving organisations’ objectives. Leaders leverage their expertise, resources, and networks to make a multitude of routine judgements that impact the level of service quality within a healthcare entity while managing the financial priorities and limits.

The responsibility of ensuring the efficient functioning of nearly all aspects of hospital performance lies with healthcare leaders and operational managers. One Limited can be exemplified in this context since it did not consider carrying out any training programs which resulted in a fatal incident (Sfantou et al., 2017). Healthcare leaders are tasked with various responsibilities, including ensuring the delivery of optimal patient care. While exhibiting effective leadership skills to foster a positive and productiveorganizationalculture, establishing and adhering to operational excellence standards, recruiting and retaining qualified personnel, implementing clinical procedures and policies, ensuring adherencewith governmentregulations as well as healthcarepolicies, cultivating networkingwith external entities such as the medicalcommittees, administeringmedical professionals, and the media, and achieving financial goals while planning and utilizing the relevant resources.

Individual Strategy for Leadership and Operational Competence Development

The intricate nature of healthcare operational performance necessitates a collaborative effort from both clinical and non-clinical operations in order to achieve optimal outcomes. The achievement of meeting the needs of contemporary healthcare patients and stakeholders necessitates a comprehensive understanding of various disciplines, systems, and tools. In this context, the operational manager plays an important and integral role (Ledlow, Bosworth and Maryon, 2023). The field of healthcare operations management involves the supervision of various processes that contribute to the delivery of services, such as financial management, staffing, policy implementation, and facility management. The task of comprehending and adhering to existing healthcare policies and regulations falls under the purview of operational managers. It is expected that they exhibit the ability to inspire and encourage employees to perform at their optimal level in order to provide high-quality care for patients (Barr and Dowding, 2022). The possession of managerial skills is crucial in effectively recruiting, instructing, and assigning appropriate duties to personnel, as well as devising innovative resolutions to staffing and patient-related challenges.

Being an operational manager, I have realized the importance of setting periodic goals and accomplishing those while assessing the objectives and quality of operations. A synergy in practices and awareness across the teams is an essential attribute that aims to cultivate better outcomes (Figueroa et al., 2019). People in the leadership and operational procedure must communicate their often and clarify the goals. In order to become an effective operational leader or manager, it is essential to integrate teams from diverse domains. It lets the leaders plan out and successfully execute the plan. It ensures that the leader pays attention to the criticalities and devises their strategies based on the resources they have.

While leading a healthcare organization, the ultimate priority for me was to develop my teams according to the standard requirements. I have understood that operational excellence can only be achieved through a cross-team exchange of information and regular interaction with team members (Weintraub and McKee, 2019). It is important to form mutual relations with the subordinates to ensure that they convey their ideas, concerns and show what they want to improve. I have always focused on employee development. I ensured that I connect with them and supervise them during their working hours to form a better understanding of restricting aspects and skills gaps. Having said that, it was also crucial for me as an operational manager to empower my teams so that they can eliminate any existing skill gaps. I had focused on regular employee evaluations; this has enabled me to identify what skills they lacked and formulated on-the-job training and observation processes to allow them to get access to the vital knowledge they might be missing. It is the responsibility of an operational manager to oversee employee performance to assure that they are competent professionals who can accomplish the job role without any errors.

I have established ties with external training and development facilities to conduct continuous training sessions for newly employed employees. The training facilitates proper knowledge transfer across teams and covers areas such as inclusive patient care, and patient-specific information regarding each patient’s health needs, physical conditions, diseases, psychological well-being and diet needs. This allows the new employees to become aware of the requirements which enable them to cater to the patients positively and eliminate risks of any fatalities. I think, my decision-making skills, situational awareness and communication and observation skills have enabled me to perform my responsibilities as an operational manager and also yield valuable outcomes as per the standard norms and procedures.

I have applied the Transformational leadership approach thatinvolves theutilizationof charismatic traits, personal qualities, and empathetic behaviour to effectively involve and motivate others towards achieving a common goal (Purwanto et al., 2020). This particular leadership approach entails motivating followers to surpass their initial expectations and achieve exceptional outcomes. I have focused in inspiring the teams and promotedcongruence between the values and objectives of these team members. It has enabled me toprioritizethe establishment of collaborative relationships founded on empathy, rather than relying on hierarchical power structures. Team development and conflict resolution were also convenient for me since I have anchored my relationship with the organizational members based on mutual understanding, communication and openness. Also, I have achieved collective accomplishments by formulating teams on the basis of like-minded people and comparable skills.

Importance of Team Cohesion and Team Management Capacity to Drive Performance Standard

Healthcare facilities value collaboration since it’s essential to providing great care. Lack of teamwork is often seen as a major flaw that lowers healthcare quality and safety. Thus, teamwork is crucial. These people work together to achieve quantifiable objectives and are guided by a leader who encourages stability and open, transparent communication to solve issues (Lavelle et al., 2020). To assist operations and promote synergy, teams are formed based on important abilities and traits.

According to Bruce Tuckman’s model, there are four primary phases of team development, namely Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing. Subsequently, an additional phase of Adjourning/Transforming was incorporated, resulting in a total of five stages (Patterson, 2022). During the forming stage of team development, team members may experience uncertainty regarding their respective roles, rules, norms, and expectations. The subsequent stage involves storming, during which group members may exhibit competitive, resentful, and envious behaviours, as well as engage in conflicts over roles and personalities. During the norming stage, group members engage in activities aimed at fostering mutual understanding, consensus-building, and the establishment of agreed-upon norms, working styles, and approaches (Patterson, 2022). The teamendeavoursto execute their tasks with a constructive and innovative mindset in order to attain their objectives. In conclusion, upon the fulfilment of team objectives, the act of adjourning serves to foster a sense of conclusion and camaraderie amongst team members (Patterson, 2022).

According to a consensus among team development specialists, teams undergo five distinct stages. Leaders play a valuable role in ascertaining the team member’s roles and responsibilities and how these teams’ skills and performance can be enhanced. Transformational leadership is a great approach that motivates employees to enhance their comprehension and skills through constant development (Irshad, Majeed and Khattak, 2021). This enables positive team coordination to deliver error-free outcomes. Apart from the transformational leadership approach, rational-legal authority and situational leadership approach are also applicable in healthcare to direct the organizational teams. Rational-legal authority is a form of leadership that iscategorizedby the association of an organization’s authority with bureaucracy and legal legitimacy (Wei and Horton-Deutsch, 2022). The act of adhering to regulations, laws, and rules can facilitate decision-making, goal-setting, and other related activities. It enables the leaders to guide their teams as per the established regulatory practices.

The concept of situational leadership can be described as a combination of various leadership models that are commonly utilised in healthcare. Situational leadership is primarily linked to a leader’s capacity to adjust their leadershipapproach in response to situational demands (De Brún, O’Donovan and McAuliffe, 2019). This may encompass providing unambiguous instructions and motivation, delegating tasks, and demonstrating adaptability. The presence of conflict is an inescapable actuality within healthcare organisations. The definition of conflict ought to be framed by the leaders in a constructive and comprehensive manner that enables the attainment of positive resolutions. Experts frequently suggest a “Conflict Management Checklist” as a diagnostic instrument for evaluating conflicts within healthcare organisations (The Joanna Briggs Institute, 2020).

The definition of a conflict situation should encompass various aspects, including the specific issue at hand, the individuals directly involvedas well as the prior incidents. Identification ofthe organisational factors that may impact the workplace environment, specifically focusing on working conditions and policies. Consideringpersonal factors, including individual opinions, feelings, and emotional intelligence, promoting self-reflection involves different questioning and evaluation approaches (The Joanna Briggs Institute, 2020). The process of resolving conflicts involves several steps, including the recognition and validation of emotions, as well as the framing of the situation in constructive terms as a challenge that requires a resolution.

Activity 2:

Need Analysis

In the case of Winterbourne View, the injustice towards the care receivers with learning disabilities can be attributed to the lack of core professional values, attitudes and poor behaviour on the part of the care providers. The care practitioners must demonstrate empathy, concern, respect and compassion for the care receivers. Professionally they are accountable for a healthy and safe environment for the patients (Doherty, 2020). These professionals must be trained according to the standard of quality care delivery policies (Patey et al., 2022). A plan must be executed for these care providers to train them and make them aware of the established norms that define the core principles of the care provisions and how to cater to the needs of each individual while being compassionate, optimistic and with utmost reverence for the individuals. For the Winterbourne View case, a change plan must be conducted to improve staff behaviour and promote a healthy professional approach among the care providers.

Ethical And Legal Requirements

The Care Act 2014 is the legislative framework that delineates the provisions for the delivery of adult social care in England (Care Quality Commission, 2022). The aforementioned legislation outlines the obligations of local authorities and selects entities within the care industry about safeguarding adults, enhancing individuals’ welfare, integrating care and support within healthcare services, disseminating information and advice, and promoting diversity and quality in care delivery. In alignment with this regulatory mandate, Winterbourne View’s employees need to be engaged in a comprehensive and extensive training process to transform the neglecting and unprofessional acts of the organizational care providers.

The Change Plan

A precise and continuous professional development and training process can be conducted. This training and professional development session will engage the care providers and supervisors as well to communicate the primary principles of care delivery and how to cater to patients with certain needs (Tamer, 2021). Efforts will be made to organise seminars, workshops, and analogous programmes to foster ethical conduct within the workplace. The purpose of training sessions is to strengthen the adherence of the organisation to its established standards of conduct, to provide clarity regarding acceptable and unacceptable practices, and to tackle potential ethical predicaments.

It is imperative for the organisation to establish formal channels that facilitate employees to deliberate on ethical predicaments and disclose unethical conduct without apprehension of retaliation (Fox et al., 2010). One potential solution is to establish positions for ethical counsellors, ombudsmen, or ethical officers. In addition to that, the organizational leaders will have to form a monitoring committee to ensure that the employees are adhering to the stated ethical policies and demonstrating acceptable and ethical professional practices. The monitoring committee will exercise regular assessments to match the standards.

Conclusion

In light of the ongoing healthcare reform, cost reduction pressures, and the prioritisation of service quality enhancement, healthcare entities are increasingly relying on operations managers and associated resources to optimise their operational efficiency through well-executed leadership approaches. The essay has provided a critical reading on leadership approaches and their relevance through case study rationales.

References

Activity 1

• Barr, J. and Dowding, L., 2022.Leadership in health care. Sage.
• Chatterjee, R., Suy, R., Yen, Y. and Chhay, L., 2018. Literature review on leadership in healthcare management.J Soc Sci Stud,5(1), pp.38-47.
• De Brún, A., O’Donovan, R. and McAuliffe, E., 2019. Interventions to develop collectivistic leadership in healthcare settings: a systematic review.BMC Health Services Research,19, pp.1-22.
• Dinh, J.V., Traylor, A.M., Kilcullen, M.P., Perez, J.A., Schweissing, E.J., Venkatesh, A. and Salas, E., 2020. Cross-disciplinary care: a systematic review on teamwork processes in health care.Small Group Research,51(1), pp.125-166.
• Duffy, J.R., 2022.Quality caring in nursing and health systems: Implications for clinicians, educators, and leaders. Springer Publishing Company.
• Figueroa, C.A., Harrison, R., Chauhan, A. and Meyer, L., 2019. Priorities and challenges for health leadership and workforce management globally: a rapid review.BMC health services research,19(1), pp.1-11.
• Galloway, J. and Gopee, N., 2017. Leadership and management in healthcare. Leadership and Management in Healthcare, pp.1-320.
• Hargett, C.W., Doty, J.P., Hauck, J.N., Webb, A.M., Cook, S.H., Tsipis, N.E., Neumann, J.A., Andolsek, K.M. and Taylor, D.C., 2017. Developing a model for effective leadership in healthcare: a concept mapping approach.Journal of healthcare leadership, pp.69-78.
• Heinen, M., van Oostveen, C., Peters, J., Vermeulen, H. and Huis, A., 2019. An integrative review of leadership competencies and attributes in advanced nursing practice.Journal of advanced nursing,75(11), pp.2378-2392.
• Irshad, M., Majeed, M. and Khattak, S.A., 2021. The combined effect of safety specific transformational leadership and safety consciousness on psychological well-being of healthcare workers.Frontiers in Psychology,12, p.688463.
• Lavelle, M., Reedy, G.B., Cross, S., Jaye, P., Simpson, T. and Anderson, J.E., 2020. An evidence based framework for the temporal observational analysis of teamwork in healthcare settings.Applied ergonomics,82, p.102915.
• Ledlow, G.R., Bosworth, M. and Maryon, T., 2023. Leadership for health professionals: Theory, skills, and applications. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
• Patterson, D., 2022. 4.6. In-depth Look: Tuckman’s Model–Five Stages of Team Development.Strategic Project Management: Theory and Practice for Human Resource Professionals.
• Purwanto, A., Bernarto, I., Asbari, M., Wijayanti, L.M. and Hyun, C.C., 2020. Effect of transformational and transactional leadership style on public health centre performance. Journal of Research in Business, Economics, and Education, 2(1).
• Sfantou, D.F., Laliotis, A., Patelarou, A.E., Sifaki-Pistolla, D., Matalliotakis, M. and Patelarou, E., 2017, October. Importance of leadership style towards quality of care measures in healthcare settings: a systematic review. InHealthcare(Vol. 5, No. 4, p. 73). MDPI.
• Slåtten, T., Mutonyi, B.R. and Lien, G., 2020. The impact of individual creativity, psychological capital, and leadership autonomy support on hospital employees’ innovative behaviour.BMC Health Services Research,20(1), pp.1-17.
• The Joanna Briggs Institute, 2020. CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN HEALTHCARE SETTINGS: STAFF CONFLICTS. [Online]. Available at: https://jbi.global/sites/default/files/2020-05/12418%20Conflict%20Resolution.pdf [Accessed on: 29^th April 2023].
• van de Riet, M.C., Berghout, M.A., Buljac-Samardži?, M., van Exel, J. and Hilders, C.G., 2019. What makes an ideal hospital-based medical leader? Three views of healthcare professionals and managers: A case study.PLoS One,14(6), p.e0218095.
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• Weintraub, P. and McKee, M., 2019. Leadership for innovation in healthcare: an exploration.International journal of health policy and management,8(3), p.138.

Activity 2

• Care Quality Commission, 2022. The Care Act and the ‘easements’ to it. [Online]. Available at: https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/adult-social-care/care-act-easements-it [Accessed on: 29^th April 2023].
• Doherty, R.F., 2020.Ethical dimensions in the health professions-e-book. Elsevier Health Sciences.
• Fox, E., Bottrell, M.M., Berkowitz, K.A., Chanko, B.L., Foglia, M.B. and Pearlman, R.A., 2010. IntegratedEthics: An innovative program to improve ethics quality in health care.Innovation Journal,15(2), pp.1-36.
• Patey, A.M., Fontaine, G., Francis, J.J., McCleary, N., Presseau, J. and Grimshaw, J.M., 2022. Healthcare professional behaviour: health impact, prevalence of evidence-based behaviours, correlates and interventions.Psychology & Health, pp.1-29.
• Tamer, G., 2021. The role of ethical leadership in increasing employees’ organizational commitment and performance: the case of healthcare professionals.Journal of Life Economics,8(1), pp.133-146.