Teamwork in Healthcare

Discuss about the Leadership and Affecting Change in The Public Health for Population.

There have been challenges affecting the health care. The United Kingdom has made it considerable. Due to this prioritization in the healthcare, there have been some continual improvements in the medical technologies, awareness amongst the patient population, the greater level of knowledge and the increasing demand of the various sources in the health care within National Health Service. There is a provision of the free health care. There is fair, good and the effective services to the whole population. This has led to the introduction of the team working to help in delivering health services to the population.

The teamwork has been viewed effectively in delivering services and products in the diverse organization setting. As the organization has become big and structurally complex, the teams of people are incorporated and coordinated in ways of achieving the objective of the organization which contributes increasingly to overall aims (Voet, 2013, p. 8).

• Teams enable the organization to learn (retain learning) effectively.
• Teams enact the strategies of the organization. This is due to the need for consistency among the organizational environment, design, and strategy.
• Teams enable the organization to develop speedily and to deliver cost of the services effectively, retaining high
• The cross-functional team promotes improved quality of the services.
• There is time management if activities, formerly performed by individuals, people working as a team can concurrently perform.
• Innovations are promoted in the team-based organizations due to the cross-fertilisation of the ideas.
• The cross-functional team can undertake the effective processes re-engineering.

Team working has been emphasized in the healthcare as it appears in the policy documents of the National Health Service. (NHS) (Larkin, 2005, p. 16).  The reason is for the importance of making sure that the social care of the people is of high qualities and 100% efficient. The best cost-effective outcome to the clients and patients have been achieved when professionals are working together, engaging in the outcome in the clinical audit, and in generating innovation for ensuring progressiveness in the service and practice. In term of care delivery, teams have been reporting reduced hospitalization costs and time, improved services provision, enhancement of patient satisfaction, team innovation, and staff innovation. Review of the outcomes are as follows’;

1. Service provision improvement.

The primary care of the teams appears producing better detection, follow-up, hypertension outcome and treatment. Specifically, the England nurses have been reporting that team-work in public health has streamlined patient care and enabled the specialist skills that was used for reducing the cost of patient care.

1. Enhancement of the patient satisfaction

The department of the Veterans Affairs in the hospital has improved. Teamwork has increased accessibility of the home care services. Caregivers have expressed a higher level of comprehensive care and levels of satisfaction. The team has reduced the number of patients who were in the general wards at a period. The team as well conduct home care reducing the visiting of the clinic fewer times.

1. Staff motivation

The team working has recorded in improving staff motivation. It has been shown that there are good relations in the work processes, job satisfaction, and leader behaviour and role clarity. Teamwork effectiveness has led to job among the team members.

Benefits of Teamwork in Healthcare

Functions of the public health leaders

• The leaders ensure the development of the public health program.
• The leaders should explore private and multiple public sources of funds.
• The public health leaders should ensure the development of the evidence-based programs and the stress-based population(Axelsson & Axelsson, 2006, p. 81).
• The leaders ensure the capacity-building activity in the local health department.
• The leader builds the community partnership in supporting the programs.
• The leader uses the governance to aid prevention focus.

In this chapter I will discuss some evidence about potential benefits of the teamwork and some of the factors which influence the effectiveness of the team, focusing on the use of healthcare setting (Korbi, 2015, p. 3). I will then explore some of the influences of the organizational context and leadership. First I will consider the meaning of the term, ‘team.’ The activities of the group of the people working in a co-operative manner in aiming to achieve shared goals. Current enthusiasm in team working reflects deeper in health care, perhaps unconscious, and offering greater promise that can be achieved in the individual endeavour.

The public health has experienced strategies and management change in the local arena and international arena. The change aims to fit for the purpose. It assists in developing the company methodology in guiding and project support (Mora, 2012, p. 92). The change in the public health has an operational excellence motive. This means that it is overlooked in the way of gaining the advantage competitive change over the competitors. The management change must become efficient, a responsive, effective and make the public health department flexible. This aids in delivering quality outcome as per optimum cost.  The change has aided in implementing new changes in the operational model. These models have all necessary characteristics and functions in achieving the public health objectives.

A successful strategy can be defined as the way the public health’s plans are set with the aim of achieving the goals and mission. These actions plans need to be managed effectively in the same discipline of the public health. This paper is focusing on the strategies for running changes in public health management like a multidisciplinary practice. This paper will be discussing the two strategies in the public health management, that is, senior management involvement in the change management and change Directors/ IT Directors.

This approach has been put across to develop a strategy in running a positive change in the public health. It provides services directly to the external customers similar to the internal customers. Products and Services must comply with the purpose and availability at an affordable cost. These strategies have recognized the success of the public health on competing for both the global stage and domestic stage.

The benefits of developing the strategies and running a management change in the public health include;

Single Accountability- the management change in the public health has promoted cohesiveness in the entity for achieving higher levels of services delivery (Fairholm, 2009, p. 7). Goals are mostly developed with the guide of solid research in promoting common understanding. The transparency objectives and mission-linked unto the public health’ strategy and direction have been productive. Single accountability ensures that threats and risks which are systematically identified and keenly addressed. Single accountability as well ensures the proactive public health. It ultimately ensures a structured organization in full supportiveness of the public health needs.

Public Health Management and Change

Integrating the Multiple Department – the integration has ensured, unambiguous and clear operating services and model, it has made the teams working towards the common overarching objectives and goals. The integration has managed partnership where the core competencies are missing. The team in the integrated public health sector reduces the overlapping capabilities or functions (Watt, 2009, p. 60).

Customer Satisfaction- the strategy has been directed towards the customers’ needs. Public health key objective is to meet the Customers’ needs.  

Productivity- the public health has ensured adoption in the fitting purpose methodologies with the inclusion of tools across the discipline. This strategy has helped the public health in ensuring that cohesiveness in the set of the principles, policies and operational procedures.  The productivity of services ensures there is a creation of the critical mass with the competencies and the removal of the unnecessary functions in the public health.  Productivity raises the bar of the key competencies which require training. 

There are some common problems that teams encounter. According to Harvard Reviews, teams may come across the various challenges (Rajasekar, 2014, p. 15);

The absence of the team identity-the members in the enterprise may start feeling that they are not mutually accountable in the team in achieving the team’s objectives. In the group, there might be no effort and commitment, the conflict between the team’s objectives which will lead to lack of collaboration in the organization.

Difficulties in making decisions-The team may be too rigid to adhere to specific decisions making. The team may be making some repetitive arguments instead of coming up with new information.  

Miscommunication – some members may start interrupting a meeting unconsciously. During a meeting it may arise silence, that is, some of the members not contributing to the meeting.

Challenges in solving conflicts- it is impossible to solve the issues when there is heightened tension where the team members are making personal attacks.

Lack of participation- some of the members, may fail to complete the duties offered. Some of the members may fail to turn up to the meetings on the stipulated dates, inclusiveness of low energies during the meetings. This will hinder in coming up with the suitable measures for improving the working condition and in solving the challenges facing the members (Hunter, 2002, p. 10).

Lack of the creativity. The team may be unable in generating new ideas and the perspectives. This will make them not to turn unexpected trends into opportunities. This will make as well the team not to compete in the competitive market for that matter.

Strategies for Public Health Management Change

Groupthink- this is when the team is unable, unwilling in considering the alternative approaches and ideas. There is no critical thinking and the debate in the ideas. This may often happen if it overemphasizes the team unity and agreement.

Leadership can be defined as a process by which activities among the group of people are organized systematically to move in the unified direction on control of one.  Ethic is a set of principles in a specific society, individual or culture (Ciulla, 2003, p. 308). Some of the leaders are sincerely ethical while others are not ethical. Most of the leaders cannot make moral decisions, when they make such decisions, are found risky because they contain imperfect and incomplete information. The leaders do not have control of variables which will or may affect the outcome. Leaders who may fail at something which is worthy forgivable when they react with deliberate care as well as for the right morals reason, although the followers will not always forgive they will not lose confidence in the leadership (Maria, 2012, p. 127).

Successful leaders are largely defined regarding the ability to bring change either positive or worse. A good leader should be ethical and effective. It is not obvious to find a leader who is ethical and effective. Some leaders may be ethical, but they lack effectiveness (Miheli?, 2010, p. 39). Others are very effective in performing their duties in serving needs their organization or constituents although are not ethical. Some of the leaders, despite being racist, people elect them due to the few positive deeds they are performing to them. Some of the leaders may be using their power to grab the money and provide job opportunities unto the people. In a working environment, a leader who is not ethical may end up in troubles because of the different views of the customers. Ethics brings respect to the leader because it speaks morally about this leader.

The leader should know what they value. The effective leaders should exhibit their ethics and their core values in the leadership (Chinitz, 2014, p. 7). It is a big challenge when in the workplaces there is lack of trust. In the leadership, leaders should make sure their values are identified in the workplaces to create the trust to those they are leading. Walking of what a leader says, is the very significant way to create trust with the employees. This will make the employees conclude that you are such a principled leader and an ethical.

Challenges Faced by Teams

Within the society that a leader serves, the core values. The demonstrated values are more advocated than the spoken ones or written ones- the actions speak louder. The written values which reinforce the spoken values and as well help in supporting the specific actions, and the specific actions and do support the written values, will be making the powerful combination. There are some examples of the values which include; competency, ambition, equality, respect, improvement, credibility, dedication, integrity, responsibility, accuracy, innovative, collaboration, friendliness, optimism, teamwork, accountability and flexibility. The values define the leaders’ character. Leaders are living their values, it is a powerful tool and will make the leader be respected by the people one is leading.

Public health organization to be effective, should develop the employee-oriented, customer-centric, and concise, develop clear and shared meanings of belief/values, priorities as well as the direction of their organization. They need to make the leaders and employees understand their values, should make the employees contribute to such values and mostly living by the values. Once the organization defines the values, the leader should be in a position to impact the values of the employees.

The power is a key to getting things done. Power can also be defined as a capacity which ‘A’ has in influencing the ways of ‘B’ in order ‘B’ reacts according to A’s wishes. It can as well be defined as the ability that helps in overcoming the resistance in achieving the desired result and also the capacity to achieve the outcomes thus relating the structure to actions. Regarding leadership, power can be achieved regardless of the dependency level which one person has compared the other (Rodríguez-Ginorio, 2009, p. 26). Instead, leadership will require compatibility of the goal between the employees and the leader. Leadership can as well be influenced, mostly by the people positioned in the downward hierarchy in structure, while the power the power may have the same result to that of the superiors and the peers (upward influence). 

Most of the categorizations of the power distinguish between the structural sources from the personal. The personal power can be attained without of having the formal position of a company. Some scientists believe that the personal power may come from unique experiences, characteristics and the knowledge which the person holds in the level of expertise, admiration of others and respect. Personality and charisma develop the relationship of influencing the people and increase personal power. The levels of leadership include; unitive, creative, egocentric and reactive. The levels serve in making the organization productive. The formal power is attributed to the position one held in the organization.

1. Leading the organization- the leader should agree with the vision, values and the purpose of the organization and make sure they remain relevant. The leader should as well make sure the organization achieves its stipulated purpose by developing, monitoring, resourcing and evaluating the plans(Fontana, 2017, p. 25).
2. Exercising the control over the organization- complying and identifying the relevant legal requirements and regulatory. Ensuring that there are appropriate management controls and internal financial. Identify major risks for the organization and as well as deciding ways of risk management.
3. Being accountable and transparent- make sure there is effective and regular communication with the stakeholders. Responding wisely to the stakeholders’ questions about how the organization is operated and as well as the work of the organization.
4. Behaving with a lot of integrity- being fair, independent and honest. Declaring, understanding and managing the conflicts of loyalty and conflict of the interest. Promoting and protecting the organization’s
5. Working effectively- making sure the organization body, committees, single board members, volunteers and staff understand their; legal duties, role, and the delegated responsibility for decision making. Making sure the board exercises the collective responsibility as it is addressed in the board meetings which are effective and efficient.

There should be clear and effective communication skills in the organization. Communication is the key to the leadership for it helps the information reach to the employees in a very originality form (Lawrence, 2015, p. 52). In the public health sector, communication can be effective when the leader;

1. Identify literacy amongst the population served. (For instance, the knowledge to interpret, the use of relevant information; or social media literacies).
2. Communicate orally and in writing with cultural proficiency linguistic (for example, incorporating images, use of ages-appropriate materials)(Luthra & Dayina, 2015, p. 44).
3. Suggesting disseminating approaches of the public health’s information and data (for example; newspapers, social media, newsletters, libraries, journals) (Abbasi, 2011, p. 20).
4. Convey information and data to professionals and public by use of varieties of approaches (for example; presentations, letters, reports, and email)(Ahmad, 2012, p. 299).
5. Facilitate the information among groups, individuals, organizations.
6. Describe roles of the public health government and health care in improving the community health(Kónya1, 2015, p. 11).

References

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