Leadership in Healthcare - Definitions

 

Leadership in Healthcare Terms 

 Definitions 

Great man theory

Leaders are born not made

Great leaders will arise when there is a need

Trait theory

People are born with traits

Some are good for leadership

People who are good leaders have the right combination of traits

Behavioural therapy

Leaders can be made, rather than are born.

Successful leadership is based in definable, learnable behavior.

Role theory

People define roles for themselves and others based on social learning and reading.

People form expectations about the roles that they and others will play.

People subtly encourage others to act within the role expectations they have for them.

People will act within the roles they adopt.

The managerial grid

The idea that leaders need to have concern for people and the task

Participative theory

Involvement in decision-making improves the understanding of the issues involved by those who must carry out the decisions.

People are more committed to actions where they have involved in the relevant decision-making.

People are less competitive and more collaborative when they are working on joint goals.

When people make decisions together, the social commitment to one another is greater and thus increases their commitment to the decision.

Several people deciding together make better decisions than one person alone.

Lewin’s leadership theory

Autocratic – dictatorship

Democratic – democracy

Laissez-faire – anarchy

Likert’s leadership theory

Exploitive authoritative – threatening, low concern for people

 

 

 

Benevolent authoritative - The leader now uses rewards to encourage appropriate performance and listens more to concerns lower down the organization

 

Consultative - The upward flow of information here is still cautious and rose-tinted to some degree, although the leader is making genuine efforts to listen carefully to ideas

 

Participative - the leader makes maximum use of participative methods, engaging people lower down the organization in decision-making. People across the organization are psychologically closer together and work well together at all levels.

Situational Leadership

The best action of the leader depends on a range of situational factors.

Hersey and Blanchard's approach

The idea that a leader should adapt their style to fit their followers ‘maturity’

Vroom and Yetton’s approach

Decision acceptance increases commitment and effectiveness of action.

 

Participation increases decision acceptance.

Path and goal approach

leaders encourage and support their followers in achieving the goals they have been set by making the path that they should take clear and easy.

They should;

Clarify the path so subordinates know which way to go.

Remove roadblocks that are stopping them going there.

Increasing the rewards along the route.

Contingency theory

The leader's ability to lead is contingent upon various situational factors, including the leader's preferred style, the capabilities and behaviours of followers and also various other situational factors.

Fiedler's Least Preferred Co-worker (LPC) Theory

Leaders prioritize between task-focus and people-focus.

 

Relationships, power and task structure are the three key factors that drive effective styles.

Cognitive Resource Theory

Intelligence, experience and other cognitive resources are factors in leadership success.

 

Cognitive capabilities, although significant are not enough to predict leadership success.

 

Stress impacts the ability to make decisions.

Strategic Contingencies Theory

Intra-organizational power depends on three factors: problem skills, actor centrality and uniqueness of skill.

Transactional leadership

People are motivated by reward and punishment.

 

Social systems work best with a clear chain of command.

 

When people have agreed to do a job, a part of the deal is that they cede all authority to their manager.

 

The prime purpose of a subordinate is to do what their manager tells them to do.

LMX theory

Leader-Member Exchange Theory, also called Vertical Dyad Linkage Theory, describes how leaders in groups maintain their position through a series of tacit exchange agreements with their members.

Transformational theory

People will follow a person who inspires them.

 

A person with vision and passion can achieve great things.

 

The way to get things done is by injecting enthusiasm and energy.

Bass' Transformational Leadership Theory

Awareness of task importance motivates people.

 

A focus on the team or organization produces better work.

Burns' Transformational Leadership Theory

Association with a higher moral position is motivating and will result in people following a leader who promotes this.

 

Working collaboratively is better than working individually.

Kouzes and Posner's Leadership Participation Inventory

A survey of 65,000 that gathered the traits people would look towards in a leader