Abstract
Leaders play a vital role in the performance and quality of service delivery in every organization. The health care sector is confronted by dynamic challenges ranging from patient care, workforce, and changing patient expectations. Therefore, the failed leadership structure will lead to poor outcomes and the slacking of day-to-day operations. This paper seeks to analyses a quality improvement initiative aimed at restructuring the leadership in a health care organization.
Poor leadership structure
Poor leadership is associated with fiscal constraints, uncontrolled workforce, low-quality services, and increased mortality rate in the health care setting. Leaders are the custodians of the objectives and goals of the firm. Therefore, they are expected to communicate to every stakeholder and mobilize the implementation of the organization processes. A weak structure implies that there is no coordination and flow of activities in health care.
Need for quality improvement initiative in leadership
The operations in the health care setting are complex and require an organized and committed team. Often, health care entities worldwide are faced with obstacles that hinder service delivery (Chatterjee, Suy, Yen, and Chhay, 2018). In this case, the set objectives and goals give the firm direction and coordination of the workforce. However, effective leadership is imperative to the implementation of all predetermined objectives. The lack of it thereof can lead to poor quality, increased death rate, and long waiting time.
Restructuring of leadership will help in realigning the purpose of the organization. The management will get rid of underperforming and incompetent leaders. The expectations are increased health care performance with efficient care and improved customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the main list of Medicare is ensuring patient safety and suitable treatment. Leaders motivate workers who will deliver the services professionally and accurately. Other measures include proper management of capital and utilization of resources. Competent leaders monitor and evaluate the operations into eh health care setting to ensure they provide all required tools.
Results of previous research on the change of leadership structure
There is an increase in demand for quality and efficient medical services globally hence increasing the gap for reliable supply. Aij and Teunissen (2017), justifies that organizations need to implement management changes to enhance quality services and cost reduction. The research concludes that ideal leadership attributes are compulsory to achieve desired outcomes in the health care setting. More so, health care organizations should reconfigure their management to implement lean and robust leadership. It implies that the consumers will accept the particular supplier when they deliver quality and satisfactory services.
Patients and the health care workforce are greatly influenced by the organization’s leadership style and effectiveness. They form a relationship that enhances the evaluation of the performance of health care. Holten and Brenner (2015), found out that customers are directly affected by the leadership change process in an organization. Therefore, it is imperative to implement changes in transformational leadership styles rather than a transactional manner. During the process, the managers should provide a guideline to the stakeholders and ensure they communicate every activity effectively.
In the 21st century, competition is rapid in the health care sector. It has resulted in insecurities and thirst for money, which are led to low service quality (Deschamps et al. 2016). There is an increasing rise in mergers and acquisitions, and entities try to reap in the market. Explains that the survival of organizations in such a market is entirely dependent on the leadership structure. Since the workforce is the cornerstone of success, motivation is equal to clarity and driving force. Competent and sound leaders generate adequate motivation and support to lead the team to victory. Furthermore, restructuring will help get lid of negative attitudes and underperforming leaders.
Steps necessary to implement a change of leadership structure
Organizational change management requires execution by professional personnel to ensure effectiveness. Mostly, the administration is faced with challenges of poor employee attitude, unproductive individuals, and negative consumer perceptions. Therefore, to overcome challenges and enhance excellence, the following steps are essential during the restructuring process.
The firsts step is a clear definition of the change purpose and the organization’s goals. At this stage, professionals conduct intensive review regarding health care and its operations. They realign the existing objectives and set new ones per practices and regulations (Sonnino, 2016). It ensures that the team has adequate financials required to implement the process. Furthermore, useful clarifications provide that the organization is redirected in the right direction strategically.
The second step is the determination of relevant stakeholders and the impact of change on them. Operational activities cascades form the top level to bottom-level management (Cummings, Bridgman, and Brown, 2016). Therefore, altering the structure means that the usual process is affected. In this case, the stakeholders should acknowledge and understand the changes taking place in the organization. It will enhance in avoiding objections and confusion during the restructuring process.
The third step consists of a communication strategy and training. An effective communication strategy identifies the channels, audience, and feedback management (Cummings, Bridgman and Brown, 2016). It is essential to ensure that every stakeholder understands and plays a supportive role during implementation. The administration should provide training and education regarding the change process and determining objectives. A professional team will teach the individuals on relevant skills necessary to implement the change strategy. The practical training involves face-to-face and on-job coaching. Adverse approaches, such as mentoring, ensure that the individuals are focused and in line with the policy.
The fourth step includes the implementation of a support structure to guide the employees emotionally and practically (Mahboob and Evans, 2015). Change of leadership leads to swings in attitudes and role configuration. In this case, the professional team should build proficiency in behavior to enhance continuity of operation. Further, the management should have continuous training to the employee regarding the technical skills necessary to facilitate transactions.
The fifth step consists of measuring the change process and identification of arising opportunities. The professional team should evaluate the restructuring plan to ensure that it has incorporated all aspects and objectives. They should include an analysis of different factors that affected the effective execution of the initiative. The success of the action is determined to facilitate the continuation of excellent service delivery. During this phase, the team scores the new leaders to establish if they are performing accordingly. Further, changes are necessary in cases of failed competency and adaptation. Furthermore, the essence of the change initiative is to enhance quality care and customer satisfaction.
Evaluation of the quality improvement initiative
During the evaluation, the team should identify critical successes, shortcomings, and opportunities learned. In the case of health care, acceptance of leadership by the workforce and stakeholders is crucial to facilitate operation (Havaei and MacPhee, 2015). They should keenly establish how new practices and leadership affect the delivery of patient-centered care. The improvement of care and immortality rate is determined to validate the effectiveness of the initiative. It builds on understanding the new structure and opportunities for development for excellent outcomes. Lastly, the team should provide summative reports regarding the newly implemented structure and quality of results.
Variables, hypothesis test and statistical test to measure the success of leadership restructuring
Customer satisfaction, quality of care, and timely service delivery are variables essential in determining the success of the restructuring initiative. The degree of change in each variable will help establish the effectiveness of the new leadership structure. The hypothesis states that the evolution of leadership structure to competent leaders will improve the quality of patient-centered care. The evaluation will include multiple regression tests to determine how the changes in the predictor variables influence the outcome. These approaches will help establish the degree of initiative and results.