For some time now, great importance has been placed on leadership and executive talent in business and political spheres. The good news is that this interest is also extending to other sectors, such as healthcare. Below, we will break down the specific characteristics of leadership in hospitals. We will also explain why communication systems with the CAN Bus protocol can help those responsible for different areas increase the efficiency of control, monitoring, and communication procedures.
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Objectives of leadership in hospitals
The objectives to be achieved through the effective exercise of hospital leadership are:
- Implementing a medium- and long-term organizational culture change, in which innovation, research, efficiency, and quality of care take priority.
- Establishing participation habits among hospital staff, fostering motivation, teamwork, communication, and recognition of others’ achievements.
- Optimizing the performance of the healthcare center’s professional team, which includes enabling resources for continuous staff training and ensuring that all members feel comfortable and satisfied with their job performance.
- More efficient and transparent management of human and material resources, through the optimization of operational processes and the reduction of management and procurement costs.
Types of leadership
There are different types of leadership, depending on the style, situation, and context of the hospital where it is exercised. The most common types of organizational leadership are:
Autocratic leadership
It is characterized by unilateral decision-making, without consulting the team of collaborators or subordinates. Although in most cases it is not usually the most effective, it can be useful in situations of crisis or healthcare emergencies, where there is no time to reach a consensus on decisions.
Bureaucratic leadership
It is based on the establishment and enforcement of standards, rules, and operating protocols. It is a very impersonal type of leadership that usually does not take collaborators’ opinions or needs into much consideration.
It can be appropriate for very specific and routine tasks, where only precision and control are required.
Participative leadership
It is based on team participation and consensus. This is a type of leadership suited to modern times, in which the opinions and proposals of collaborators are listened to and valued. In addition, this type of leader is very inclined to delegate responsibilities.
It is usually applied in situations of change or innovation, and in those where staff are expected to show initiative and a high level of commitment.
Transformational leadership
This is a variant of the previous type of leadership, in which the leader also seeks to achieve objectives through the motivation and enthusiasm of team members. It is a very charismatic type of leadership that pursues the common good, continuous improvement, and, above all, innovation.
It is the most appropriate type of leadership when the goal is for the healthcare center to become a benchmark for quality of care.
What characteristics should a leader in the healthcare field have?
Clearly, the ideal situation is to exercise participative or transformational leadership, without forgetting that in a hospital setting, routines and bureaucratic controls are unavoidable.
Therefore, the modern hospital leader must be primarily transformational, but should not neglect the routine and bureaucratic aspects inherent to all medical procedures. To achieve this, they must have the following skills:
- Communication skills, empathy, and emotional intelligence, to establish work relationships based on motivation, mutual trust, and collaboration.
- Ability to manage material and human resources effectively, ethically, and responsibly.
- Self-confidence, which is essential when it comes to conveying credibility and security to the rest of the team and achieving their involvement in the project.
- Innovative and strategic thinking, capable of adapting to changes and challenges in the healthcare environment, which involves adopting innovative, creative, and efficient solutions.
Keys to good leadership
In addition to the skills mentioned above, a hospital leader must:
- Have a clear vision (and know how to communicate it) regarding the ethical values of the hospital or healthcare area they lead.
- Reinforce habits of participation, collaboration, and commitment among all team members.
- Recognize and value talent, effort, and the contribution of each professional.
- Be honest, ethical, and respectful.
- Resolve conflicts in an assertive, constructive, and fair manner, always seeking a balance between the particular interests of subordinates and the common good.
- Adapt to change and new situations, being flexible and creative.
- Promote innovation, research, and continuous improvement of processes and services.
- Establish clear, measurable, and achievable objectives, with ongoing monitoring and evaluation of results.
In the last two cases, it is essential to rely on monitoring, communication, and control tools and systems, whenever possible in real time.
Conclusion
Those who hold positions of responsibility in hospital centers and are committed to innovation and efficiency must be agile and decisive when implementing automated and programmed control and communication solutions. In this regard, systems that operate under the CAN Bus protocol are a benchmark alternative, successfully adopted by many leading hospital and healthcare centers, both nationally and internationally.
At Advantecnia, we are a highly specialized firm in the design and implementation of this type of system and other healthcare solutions, which have a direct and real impact on the success of the strategies designed by those facing the challenges of leadership in hospitals.
Therefore, if you wish to obtain more detailed information about these solutions, simply call the phone number 91 632 47 00 or complete and submit our contact form on the website.
