Introduction
Leadership forms a very integral part of any successful institution; this equally applies in the medical field. Leadership will dictate the management styles and corporate culture adopted in any organization whether small or large. The management styles and corporate culture will to a large extent determine the level of compliance in an organization. By integrating the views of the two authors, this article will bring out the significance of proper management on the performance and success of medical care programs and activities.
Discussion
Wolper (2011) sheds some light on the significance of management styles, corporate culture, and compliance on the performance of a medical institution. Whether a large scale or a small scale organization management style, corporate culture and compliance are quite significant and have to be upheld if an institution is to perform well. In a study carried out by Kenmore (2008), it was shown that the leadership styles adopted by ward managers have a great influence on staff performance and patient care. The study was carried out to find out the effect of leadership on “staff satisfaction and performance, or the working ‘climate’, and therefore of patient satisfaction” (Kenmore, 2008, p. 24).
Wolper (2011) surfaced the fact that while corporate culture is such an important factor, it is often more said than practically accomplished. For corporate culture to be well established and practiced there is a requirement for sacrificing time, capital, and a great need for commitment. Furthermore, the leaders need to spearhead the process of creating and developing a corporate culture. In the study carried out by Kenmore (2008) it was found out that two styles of leadership were dominantly used: affiliative and coaching. The implication of these leadership styles, according to Kenmore (2008) is that “ward managers strive to create harmonious and friendly atmospheres to prevent rifts among staff, and try to encourage their staff’s long term development” (p. 25).
A series of challenges were associated with the affiliative and coaching style of leadership especially in the light of their inclination to the creation of harmony. It was argued that ward managers who use the above leadership styles were more likely to avoid confronting awkward scenarios which are likely to cause disharmony at the workplace. There were also fears that the employees would fall prey to reliance on coaching and thus lose creativity. As a solution to these challenges, the study revealed that the highest performing managers tended to use a range of leadership styles. The study gave the following as the breakdown for those managers who performed the highest:
They were clear about what they expected of staff; they set clear, challenging yet attainable goals and gave feedback and assistance to improve performance; they introduced and enforced only those rules, procedures, policies or practices that were necessary, and minimum bureaucracy; and that they fostered an environment in which staff can co-operate, interact and feel proud to belong to their wards. (Kenmore, 2008, p. 25)
It was argued that managers who put into practice the above features performed highly and motivated the employees under them. It is worth noting that high performance has everything to do with proper management, good corporate culture, and enabling the employees to be compliant as well as the whole system being compliant to achieving the goals of its objectives.
I believe that in any management project, flexibility is a virtue that has to be adopted. This is because no one management style can be pointed out to be satisfactory. All the management styles have to be engaged to some level concerning the level of relevance in a particular activity.
References
Kenmore, P. (2008). Exploring leadership styles. Nursing Management – UK, 15(1), 24-26. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Wolper, L. F. (2011). Health Care Administration: Planning, Implementing and Managing Organized delivery systems. New York, NY: Cengage Learning.