Transformational leadership in healthcare organizations and outcomes

¶ … healthcare industry is clearly in a period of transition, most researchers would agree that this transition is one of the position of the health care institution and organization as an institution of provisional care to one that better reflects healthcare as a business model that requires and builds on lessons learned in business to redirect and qualify its role in society and community. (Laurent, 2000) Interestingly enough, unlike many aspects of changing a caring model to a business model transformational leadership lends itself very well to the healthcare setting, as the definitions and description of the model below will show. (Edmonstone & Western, 2002) This study will then look at existing literature to aide in discovering why transformational leadership model has proved such a success in healthcare and provide a review of efficacy of the model in comparison to other models of leadership that have been applied to healthcare mainly the transactional leadership model. (Aarons, 2006) (Bowles & Bowles, 2000)

Purpose of the Proposed Study

The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive review of the most effective and most common leadership model in the healthcare industry. The work will apply an extensive review of literature as well as a small study methodology to demonstrate qualitative information regarding leadership models in healthcare and how they affect health outcomes.

Relevant background literature

After an preliminary review of literature this researcher has discovered that the most common leadership model in modern healthcare is the transformational leadership model. This leadership model reflects the desire of organizations to transform them in a positive fashion to better meet the needs of the organization as well as those they serve. The transformational leadership model is best described by a synopsis of the work of B.M. Bass who began fundamental theorizing on the model in the 1980s as an aspect of organizational leadership changes, mainly in business. His model structure sharply contrasts to authoritarian and other models of leadership in that it demands that the leader seek to aide his or her team in defining and focusing on group goals rather than on individual goals or motivations and asks that a charismatic leader motivate team members to be ever conscious of the importance of the team goals and tasks and also their role in achieving these goals and completing these tasks. Two sets of standards dominate the leadership model: Assumptions: Awareness of task importance motivates people. & a focus on the team or organization produces better work and also the definition of transformational leadership as the way in which leaders transform followers and he offers three guidelines to doing so: 1. Increasing their awareness of task importance and value. 2. Getting them to focus first on team or organizational goals, rather than their own interests. 3. Activating their higher-order needs. Bass also stresses that the transformational leader comes from a sincere place where he or she is driven by the desire to uphold the ethical and moral high ground of the organization and inextricably believes in his or her vision and program as well as having a sincere high moral character. (Bass, 1985)

Having then provided the background and brief introduction to the transformational leadership model the work will then go on to briefly describe the relevant literature that aided in determining that transformational leadership model is the dominant and most effective leadership model in modern healthcare organizations. The literature frequently describes transformational leadership as the most effective model in use in healthcare, offering readers countless examples of how transformational leadership has ultimately transformed healthcare organizations and teams. (Bowles & Bowles, 2000) (Aarons, 2006) (Vandenberghe, Stordeur, & D'hoore, 2002) (Wilson-Evered, Hartel, & Neale, 2001) (Dunham-Taylor, 2000) (Laurent, 2000) (S.Pounder, 2003) (Spinelli, 2006) (Edmonstone & Western, 2002)

Research Question or Hypothesis

What is the most popular leadership model in the healthcare sector and how does it affect the health outcomes?

Definitions of Key Terms Used in the Proposal

Transformational Leadership: Leadership model based on inspiring and transforming teams to produce higher order motivation. (Bass, 1985)

Transactional Leadership: Leadership model based on exchanges of reinforcement. (Vandenberghe, Stordeur, & D'hoore, 2002)

Evidence-Based Practice: Practice change model adopted in healthcare and elsewhere that is said to be based on best practices provided by evidentiary research and applications. (Aarons, 2006)

Shared Leadership Model: "Shared leadership is a nursing management model that supports staff nurses in extending their influence about decisions that affect their practice, work environment, professional development, and self-fulfillment." (Walker, 2001, p. 26)

Significance of the Research

This research will lend itself to the development of a clearer understanding of first the new dominant leadership model in healthcare and most importantly create a deeper understanding of the impact this model has on health outcomes and employee satisfaction

Ethical Considerations

This work will place paramount importance on respondent anonymity to ensure that the study does not negatively affect the organization or any individual participant. The work will stress that the ethical claims of the transformational leadership model be applied to its own standard for development and make certain that the purpose of the work is fundamental and important. No personal information will be recorded or shared and answers wherever possible will be edited for negative content. Individuals who respond negatively to the perceived failure to implement transformational leadership will not be singled out but rather will be offered the opportunity to either opt out or more importantly will be guided toward a set of open ended statements in the questionnaire that will allow them to voice their opinion regarding how the organization and their particular department could better serve the intentions of the TrLM and the health outcomes of the community. This information will only be shared with the administration if the responded offers permission to do so.

Anticipated Problems and Limitations

There is a sense in many larger organizations that ideals and practice do not always match one another. This work could potentially generate a record of failed implementation of transformational leadership or it could find that transformational leadership model is resisted in some departments of the single institution. This outcome could skew data and create an impasse in information.

Resources Required for the Research

The research will require very little resource material and could be performed for less than $50 dollars. Allocated time resources will consist mostly of follow up to ensure compliance and return of the email questionnaire by as many participants and departments as possible.