MHS, a MedHeal Hospital System, is well recognized for its performance. It is considered an exemplar of high-quality medical services in the fast-changing healthcare world. (The) MHS is known for its patient care, and the organization has also emphasized a team approach by promoting collaborative stewardship, strengthening its organizational culture. Notwithstanding the outbreak of the world health emergency that came with the COVID-19 pandemic, device trackers in healthcare have presented unique hurdles for MHS. This research focuses on the biggest problems for MHS in providing teleconsultations, managing the modifications in process and staffing, and the risk of the highest workload getting burnt out. In addition, it details how these people experience the intricacies of a generational divide within their staff sparked by the motivational issues associated with remote working. Transactions-oriented leadership is the primary leadership style applicable in MHS, just like in the case of the healthcare industry in general. While transformational leadership is effective in adopting new strategies in healthcare companies, a study has shown that transformational leadership is the predominant approach needed (Borkowski & Meese, 2020). Borkowski and Meese (2020) reported that those head nurses who demonstrated a higher level of transformational leadership in their work attitude were more likely to be popular among their staff nurses and were loved by their subordinates due to their high level of intrinsic motivation, as opposed to those head nurses, who applied primarily transactional principles in their daily work. As transformational leadership proved its effectiveness throughout this study, the recommendations herein outline the structural improvements that MHS may undertake via leadership transformation.
In terms of the COVID-19 pandemic that has emerged worldwide, a move from the transactional leadership style of MHS to a more effective leadership form, transformational leadership, became a need. This is to increase the likelihood of the success of the new initiatives within their organization. As we proceed with the description of the Transformational Leadership framework, it becomes necessary to look at how the emotional intelligence qualities of the leaders can be put to good use in an organization and how these, in turn, influence the work environment of the employees at MHS. I will discuss the four areas of organizational behavior, namely emotional intelligence, transformational leadership theory, and stress management interventions, to provide practical guidance on the urgent issues that the MHS is confronted with. The measures below are put forward to protect the lives of MHS ex officio and ensure quality health services to the patients.
The intergenerational conflict within the healthcare industry is an age-old phenomenon because of the virulent nature of the pandemic brought to the fore within MHS. Senior professionals in the medical field and other healthcare workers act as mentors to some students who are enthusiastic like them and show the desire to pursue a medical career. Thus, one does not have to agree with two varying perspectives: On the one hand, it is not a rare case to observe such comments as “the number of students and residents is going to decrease gradually” and “they have a dissimilar performance compared to my training period.” Proclamations such as these impact the younger group of medical professionals in MHS and make them feel as though they, too, deserve equal recognition. Along with transformational leadership, managers should be ready to look into their employees individually, considering their traits and qualities (Borkowski & Meese, 2020). Considering that age diversity in industries, including the medical field, is not going to disappear, I think an administrative course that builds things like this one could be the one promising for bridging the age gap employees at MHS should go through, including inclusivity for both old population such as the baby boomers and young population such as the millennials (Jirasevijinda, 2018). For example, the shoulder experience of that generation proves that they grew up in a social media era in which they immediately acknowledged getting social approval together with having moments of self-contentment when their affirmative responses were fast (Jiraseyijinda, 2018).The management team at MHS may create a membership in this group by recognizing them quickly and giving them regular confirmations or acknowledgments (Jiraseyijinda, 2018). This strategy is based on a philosophy that the same way members feel outside will make them feel the same inside so that the MHS medical staff will get a familiar and comfortable environment. However, it is mission-oriented unless we succeed in creating a space where generations can work together. Summing up, the transformational leadership style used by the managers of the MHS distinguishes the positive feedback of each age group. The above approach addresses the current need for millennials to feel appreciated and enhances teamwork by encouraging an atmosphere of understanding, leading to success in building an integrated working culture.
MHS has a great crisis to protect healthcare workers from the disease. On the other hand, the infection pressure in general hospitals also increases when the hospitals provide a high level of care. Because burnout is seen more frequently and the workforce has high-stress levels, MHS has developed plans for stress management with measures covering primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. By providing health circles, stress management intervention could be used as a crucial MHS tool, as Glazer and Liu (2017) have shown. A health circle is a typical circularity where the employees and managers consult and decide on specific entity problems to stop it from creating a new system. The flow of the discourse includes the exploitation of the organization process, the rules, the practices, and the rewards (Glazer & Liu, 2017). Accordingly, after the described issues have been addressed, the participants will seek feasible solutions that they can, in turn, implement in a working environment (Glazer & Liu, 2017). The objective of health circles, which is recognized as an effective intervention, is to predict future work-related stress and prevent this predicted occurrence of these stressors by eliminating or reducing these hindering issues, which in turn removes the core productivity of caregiver, diminishes caregiver well-being, and reduces employee job satisfaction (Glazer & Liu, 2017). To handle those stressors that can not be eliminated, MHS management may use a couple more stress management methods by ensuring the clinical resources will always be there (Glazer & Liu, 2017). One possible solution is to designate an experienced RN supervisor (RN) to guide the decisions of newly allowed nurses who need appreciable confirmation of their patients.
Through equipping MHS staff with professional services, it is possible to enhance the confidence and competence of healthcare professionals in MHS. As a result, such workers may cope more successfully with their daily job responsibilities, resulting in increased job satisfaction and reduced stress levels. Lastly, integrating Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) may be part of the stress-coping strategy that might be useful in recovering MHS personnel who have gone through very stressful situations (Glazer & Liu, 2017). Specific interventions can incorporate counseling services based on cognitive behavioral therapy, relaxation techniques, anger management techniques, and all-powerful stress management tools (Glazer & Lin, 2017). Harnessing Emotional Communication Training (ECP) drives the staff of MHS to learn how to express and manage their emotions in the workplace, thus enhancing the quality of relations among employees and making the staff accessible to disputes and tension within the organization. MHS is firmly committed to stress management, which will be mainly implemented through primary, secondary, and tertiary treatments targeted at its personnel to forestall burnout. The efforts by MHS to improve employees’ resilience and promote favorable work conditions for practicing high-quality patient care are anchored by health circles as the primary tool to mitigate organizational stressors and on-call clinical support for nurses with a few months of experience as the secondary method. Lastly, counseling services offered through Employee Assistance Programs are tertiary measures.
These two stress management approaches also allow MHS managers to show a specific concern for their staff. The team members, as well as the managers of health circles, are concerned with identifying unique stresses within the business, which enables the managers to listen to the issues and viewpoints of individuals on a personal level. Managers express their dedication to recognizing and fulfilling every employee’s specific issues and challenges by including them in problem-solving and decision-making platforms. Similarly, on-call clinical support ensures that freshly graduated nurses and other staff members get customized education and assistance whenever faced with difficult patient situations. Thus, support and focus are set for the people involved. Also, the Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are a great way to provide employees with the opportunity to get counseling services suited to their needs. This way, employees will have a private environment to discuss the issues affecting them and get tailor-made assistance and guidance. To prove that individual consideration for healthcare workers is high among MHS managers, they should apply stress management strategies, strengthen the commitment to employee well-being, and create an organizational culture that reflects empathy, understanding, and assistance. This reflects the transformational leadership style’s values, where leaders prioritize mentoring their team members individually and extend care and concern to each of them, thus creating a warm and nurturing atmosphere.
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has led to significant changes in healthcare, with three main trends that reshape the medical practice and organizational dynamics. These trends include the mass utilization of telemedicine for consultations offsite, the relocation of non-COVID services to online platforms, and the difficulty in organizational communication caused by remote work that makes team members feel less connected. The supervisors and managers of many modern organizations still do not include remote work support and the preparation to meet the requirements of remote workers as part of their job descriptions, and this is also a deficit in the training provided to MHS managers (Shirmihammadi et al., 2022). Consequently, the current supervisors and managers have yet to undergo any training to effectively handle employees who do not strictly follow a 9:Employees who work 00:00 to 05:00 and who are not consistently physically present in the office (Shirmihammadi et al., 2022) MHS managers/supervisors must come up with different transformational leadership styles to support their remote staff and keep the standards of patient care high. Managers of MHS must be able to offer ongoing support to their employees to ensure that they maintain a healthy work-life balance. This includes recognizing the stress of remote working, listening attentively to their healthcare workers’ concerns, and showcasing empathy toward the challenges they are experiencing (Shirmihammadi et al., 2022). Organizations need to enhance their communication channels with remote workers by increasing the frequency of check-ins with them so that they can have more avenues to express any issues or feedback on their job (Shirmihammadi et al., 2022). On the other hand, this would also reduce the social isolation that may result in remote work, increasing job satisfaction (Shirmihammadi et al., 2022).
MHS managers need to demonstrate the characteristics of a transforming leader to erode the organizational difficulties provoked by remote working circumstances. Borkowski and Meese (2020) identified four key attributes that define a transformative leader: while privacy is the one constant, strong personalities can be found everywhere – in the form of magic, creativity, and intelligence that belong to everyone. Leaders with charisma are known as transformative ones because they can craft an obvious direction, objective, and, lastly, a sense of pride, which can enable others to obtain respect and trust from the group (Borkowski & Meese, 2020). Such leaders can readily engage workers who might sometimes feel disconnected and insecure by delivering an earnest vision for the company’s future and uniting all employees behind one resounding mission statement to keep them motivated and stimulated. The team appreciates the charismatic leader as he exhibits mature, commendable qualities like confidence, energy, and genuineness. In turn, a conducive working environment and high employee morale exist.
Along with this, commonality in conveying the organizational values and responsibilities, adding a bridge that eases the risk of loneliness and uncertainty while working from home leads to team unity and a sense of togetherness. A revolutionary leader who has charisma may make remote work for the MHS staff team with ease by showing and inspiring them the way of how to change and try new stuff that will be helpful to them during their work in the time of changing the healthcare services (Borkowski & Meese, 2020). To overcome the challenges of remote work, which is a will employee problem, and provide more communication and community among the management of MHS, the management team must be aware of the stress that is associated with it, listen to healthcare workers’ concerns, encourage more frequent communication and build a community within their employees (Shirmohammadi et al., 2022).
While incorporating the transformational leadership method and its associated characteristics would be advantageous for leaders in the field of MHS in directing their company toward improved results, it is essential to acknowledge the presence of another feature that contributes significantly to effective leadership: emotional intelligence. According to Coronadonado-Maldonado and Benítez-Márquez (2023), emotional intelligence is the ability to understand people in a social surrounding so that individuals can not only detect nuances of emotional responses but also adapt to them and use their acquired knowledge to influence others using emotional regulation and management. As a result, communication is a vital aspect of the competencies required for successful leadership and teamwork (Coronado-Maldonado & Benítez-Márquez, 2023). Given the COVID-19 pandemic, the leaders within the MHS sector must have the proper skill set and knowledge to assist in overcoming the fears and worries of their workers. This approach is preventive and, therefore, helps reduce stress and increase all-around job satisfaction. Emotional intelligence will be the compass for the MHS’s employees throughout the pandemic and will also help management to overcome generational differences and age issues in the workplace that are the result of the age gap among employees (Coronado-Maldonado & Benítez-Márquez, 2023). The emotional intelligence problem within MHS can be addressed using group dynamics and organizational strategies (Borkowski & Meese, 2020). As for organizations, emotional intelligence includes revisiting the value hierarchy to put emotional intelligence before everything else (Borkowski & Meese, 2020). The aspects mentioned earlier, consisting of recruitment, training and development, performance evaluations, and promotions, were the focus of Borkowski and Meese’s (2020) research. The emotional intelligence among the groups in MHS can dramatically improve if people are taught to express their feelings and learn how their emotions impact the group’s performance (Borkowski & Meese, 2020). This can be supplemented by all other leadership qualities, such as interpersonal competence within and outside the team and the ability to devise a strategy to deal with this obstacle more effectively (Borkowski & Meese, 2020). As the MHS schools’ bosses look into the gaps created by COVID-19, it is evident that emotional intelligence and transformational leadership are critical is also actual. Emotional intelligence’s primary features include the augmentation of communication, reduced stress levels, appreciation of work, and the ability to resolve differences within the workplace among different generations, relieve employees’ stress, and boost employees’ job satisfaction. It is urgent to put emotional intelligence first as we must intervene at these difficult times, particularly at the top and group levels.
MedHeal Hospital System (MHS) is designated to uphold ethical standards and deliver the best patient care amid the challenges posed by COVID-19 and the changing healthcare environment. Through a multifaceted approach that features transitional leadership and emotional intelligence and remembering all the other approaches that would be useful, MHS is determined to address the complex issues of distant work, intergenerational conflict, and rising stress levels among the workers. As a result of using a supervisory system with three stress management levels and making the MHS a workplace where staff members are accepted, the institution will be an example of organizational proactivity that takes a stand against staff members’ burnout and offers a chance to become resilient. The MHS management team also affirms that time and effort for individual care with a higher degree of empathy is necessary. They desire to build a sense of community among the different cohorts of healthcare providers and foster an environment where all feel they are looked after, which motivates them to cooperate and come up with creative solutions. The unnerving types of challenges posed by the pandemic seek MHS to further itself regarding transformational leadership and emotional effectiveness. These core competencies will be the keystones for the success of our groups; at the same time, they will ensure that our patients will be provided with the most appropriate level of assistance in this disease-specific picture. MHS regards itself as a vanguard in the mechanism of care as it opens its arms without prejudice to all healthcare practitioners to come and establish their profession in it. Presumably, MHS provides healthcare professionals with a platform for professionalism, giving them the chance and space to transform, comprehend, and keep learning.
References:
Borkowski, N., & Meese, K. A. (2020). Organizational Behavior in Health Care (4th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Coronado-Maldonado, I., & Benítez-Márquez, M.-D. (2023). Emotional intelligence, leadership, and work teams: A hybrid literature review. Heliyon, 9(10), e20356. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20356
Glazer, S., & Liu, C. (2017). Work, Stress, Coping, and Stress Management. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.013.30
Jirasevijinda, T. (2018). Bridging the generation gap in the workplace: How I learned to stop worrying and love working with millennials. Journal of Communication in Healthcare, 11(2), 83-86. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538068.2018.1485830
Shirmohammadi, M., Au, W. C., & Beigi, M. (2022). Remote work and work-life balance: Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and suggestions for HRD practitioners. Human Resource Development International, 25(2), 163-181. https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2022.2047380
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