The healthcare industry is one of the major industries that holds a fundamental component on how a country fares on. The way in which healthcare industry is operated and managed in a country is a symbol of how the country values its population in respect to its economy. As a result of the importance of this industry, the government in many countries especially those that have developed ensure that there is a proper and efficient management of this industry. Medical supply is a key component in the healthcare industry because it provides the necessary medications that can be used to cure several diseases (Almgren, 2007). Therefore, there is need to have competent leadership in this sector so as to ensure that the healthcare industry is not compromised.
In any medical supply stores, there is need to have a leader who can be both a leader and a manager. Various hypotheses have been developed over time to explain leadership dynamics. Although most of these theories were developed to explain leadership in relation to the business they have evolved and are now being used to describe leadership in the healthcare industry. One of the key leadership approaches that can be used in medical supply stores is the transformational leadership. According to transformational leadership, there is a need for a leader to be involved in more activities than the traditional style of leadership that mainly includes overseeing the employees, setting organizational goals and performance and productivity of the group. In transformational leadership, a leader needs to communicate the mission and vision of the organization to the employees in a way that they feel excited and a sense of collective purpose (Manion, 2005). This form of leadership approach can be effective in the medical supply store as it will ensure that the employees are motivated beyond the call of performing their normal duties hence the stores can be able to run efficiently.
Consequently, in a medical supply store, collaborative leadership approach can also be used to ensure that there is an efficient operation. In a case where individuals are working towards a mutual goal that benefits them, there is a collaboration between them. In collaborative leadership approach, a leader has to communicate information to the employees and encourages open communication between co-workers and organizations that are related to them (Collins & Holton, 2004). The leader also allows the employees to make their informed decision based on the information that they have received. In a healthcare industry mainly the medical supply stores this kind of leadership is beneficial because it encourages sharing of knowledge and experiences. Staff from one medical store can be able to share knowledge with their colleagues from a different store. This will enhance the knowledge that they have about certain diseases hence they will be able to know how to combat that particular disease. Open communication will also reduce the level of complexity in the store hence there will be consistent supply of medical equipment and drugs whenever they are needed (Al-Touby, 2012). Consistency is supply will arise due to the interdependency that will have been developed between the various stakeholder in the healthcare industry and the medical supply store.
Lastly, ethical leadership approach can also be beneficial in the medical supply store. Ethical leadership can have a substantial impact of many individuals who rely on the healthcare industry including the staff, patient and the organization (Bolman & Deal, 2003). Upholding ethical leadership in the medical supply store will enable the store to gain public trust which is important in the healthcare industry. An ethical leader has to influence the employees by creating enthusiasm for strategies that may be considered risky and requiring them to change some of their underlying beliefs and values. However, in any case, the leader must ensure that the ethics and values of the society together with an individual beliefs are not ignored as this can create decline in the public trust (Al-Touby, 2012). Therefore, the leader has to ensure that they respect the rights of every individual and parties involved.
In conclusion, there are several other theories and approaches that can be applied to the healthcare industry. The current approaches have been influenced by several past theories and models developed for business organizations then modified to suit the healthcare setting. However, it is important to note that leadership is dynamic hence leadership approaches that are considered relevant today may be unable to hold in the future. Therefore, there is need for constant review of leadership approached that is used mainly in the healthcare system.
References
Almgren, G. (2007). Health care politics, policy, and services: a social justice analysis. New York: Springer Publishing Company.
Al-Touby, S.S (2012). Functional results-oriented healthcare leadership: a novel leadership model. Oman Med J, 27(2):104-107.
Bolman, L. G, & Deal, T. E. (2003). Reframing leadership. Business leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. p. 86-110.
Collins, D, & Holton, E (2004). The effectiveness of managerial leadership development programs: a meta-analysis of studies from 1982 to 2001. Hum Resource Dev Q, 15(2):217-248.
Manion, J. (2005). From management to leadership: practical strategies for healthcare leaders.2nd ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
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