Leadership

BUS3012: Fundamentals of Leadership

Leadership and Group Collaboration Scenario Use the following scenario as a basis to complete the assignment. Imagine that you were hired for the job that you applied for at Western Medical Enterprises and you have a few months under your belt. One day your boss stops by your office and says the following:

Hi, I just have a couple of minutes. Please forgive me for stopping in without advance notice. We got the results of a recent employee survey at one of our remote clinics – Lakeland. The survey indicates we have some issues to address. The data show 75 percent of the employees have concerns about at least one of the following: diversity issues, workplace incivility, and poor work-life balance.

Senior leadership has asked me how I plan to respond, and my first inclination is to put you in charge of assembling a team to address one of the issues. You have demonstrated effective organizational and communication on other projects and I think you will be a great asset as we move forward.

I have to run right now, but I’ll send you an e-mail with more information before I leave today.

See you later!

Subsequent E-mail Thanks for carving out a few minutes for me this morning. I just want you to know that this is really a great opportunity for you. I know you have been interested in taking steps to becoming a leader in this organization, and now it’s time to realize your potential. As you know, we opened the Lakeland Medical Branch Clinic to serve area residents who were unable or unwilling to use the services offered at the main hospital. The first two months of operation saw strong patient volume. Since then, the numbers have dropped off dramatically. This prompted leadership to start asking some questions, which led to the internal survey that I mentioned yesterday. I just met with leadership and they determined that the priority right now is the diversity issue because we have the opportunity to improve outcomes for both employees and the community. This is part of an e-mail I got from the clinic director last week:

“. . . after careful examination of all aspects of the organization and talking with some neighborhood leaders, we have concluded that residents in the community do not feel comfortable coming to the clinic. It seems the staff are lacking the ability to develop a trusting relationship with the residents, primarily because they do not understand the cultural values and norms. The neighborhood residents, which you know are predominantly Haitian, often feel their beliefs, values, and health practices are not understood. When staff members were hired, we only considered their past work experiences, education, and potential. We may have failed to fully consider their ability to work with diverse populations.”

BUS3012: Fundamentals of Leadership

This information is intended to give you a better understanding of the issues to be addressed. Things need to move quickly. I want you to assemble a committee to clearly define the problem and ultimately provide guidance on solutions. Before introducing you to the clinic director and executive team, I want to review your approach specific to leadership and collaboration. I would like three things from you in a written document (Use the Leadership and Group Collaboration Template). First, identify and analyze a leader you would choose to lead a project like this and explain why. It can be anyone who is qualified. Considering someone you know personally may give you greater insight and depth of knowledge. Consider how they inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, encourage the heart, and face challenges and opportunities. Secondly, select one of the characteristics or traits that make them successful and compare it to yourself. Your choice will tell me a lot about your leadership approach and priorities. Describe your role and style in leading the group. How will you lead and communicate? Will you be an authoritative, collaborative, democratic, servant, or transformational type of leader? Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your approach in the context of this project. My third and final request is related to your leadership and fostering of teamwork and collaboration among a group of interdisciplinary professionals. We are looking for 4–6 members to serve on a committee who will be considering the diversity issue and ultimately making a recommendation on how to address it. I want you to describe how you would facilitate collaboration to maximize team effectiveness. You might consider:

Communication technologies.

Practices (accountability, decision making, delegating).

Techniques for sharing information and ideas.

Share other ideas you might have.

Remember this information will be shared with the clinic director so keep it clear, focused, and professional. Creativity is important; however, we want to be sure that your ideas and approaches align with current healthcare organization trends and practices, so include references from current academic or professional resources to support you points. I have confidence in you! Lynnette