A combination of agility and resilience is essential for healthcare leaders to lead change and tackle contemporary management issues competently. Healthcare institutions encounter persistent obstacles, such as the emergence of novel technologies, dynamic regulatory frameworks, and evolving patient demands. The effective application of agility and resilience can enhance healthcare leadership and address current management issues (Mercedes & Burrell, 2022). The concept of agility in healthcare leadership pertains to the capacity to promptly and effectively respond to environmental alterations. It is imperative for healthcare executives to possess the ability to anticipate and effectively address shifts in patient requirements, healthcare regulations, and novel technological advancements. The aforementioned necessitates an active and preemptive approach toward resolving issues, a disposition to undertake ventures despite potential hazards, and a capacity to derive knowledge from unsuccessful attempts. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare leaders may be required to expeditiously incorporate novel technologies, like telehealth, to cater to patients’ demands effectively. The concept of resilience in healthcare leadership pertains to the capacity to promptly rebound from adversities. Healthcare executives must exhibit resilience to surmount barriers, sustain their concentration on objectives, and uphold their drive when confronted with difficulties (Thomas & Suresh, 2022). The approach necessitates a constructive mindset, a readiness to solicit assistance from peers, and a capacity to sustain a broad outlook amidst challenging circumstances. Healthcare administrators may encounter the challenge of managing financial constraints or inadequate personnel resources while upholding superior standards of patient care.
The Situational Leadership Theory (SLT) is a model that healthcare leaders can utilize to facilitate their agility and resilience. The theory states that effective leaders must be able to modify their leadership approach per the requirements of their subordinates. The SLT has four distinct leadership styles: Coaching, Directing, Supporting, and Delegating (Egge, 2019). It is imperative for leaders to carefully select a leadership style that aligns with the level of competence and commitment exhibited by their followers. Through adopting this strategy, healthcare leaders can proficiently guide their teams amidst change and unpredictability, fostering adaptability and durability within their organization. The Transformational Leadership Theory (TLT) is an additional model that can be employed to foster agility and resilience in healthcare leadership. According to White (2020), the theory posits that proficient leaders can stimulate and encourage their adherents to attain their utmost capabilities. Transformational leadership involves promoting a collective vision, stimulating creativity and novelty, and cultivating a sense of proprietorship among subordinates. Through implementing this strategy, healthcare executives can establish a milieu of ingenuity and superiority, fostering a mindset among their staff that welcomes transformation and adjusts to novel circumstances.
Apart from these models, healthcare executives can foster adaptability and durability by cultivating essential competencies and conduct. Leaders can cultivate a growth mindset characterized by a willingness to confront challenges and actively pursue opportunities for personal and professional development. Leaders have the potential to develop emotional intelligence, which encompasses the capacity to identify and regulate one’s emotions, along with those of others (Lefebvre et al., 2020). In addition, healthcare executives can prioritize implementing efficient communication and collaboration strategies. Effective communication is a crucial skill that leaders must possess to interact with their team, patients, and other stakeholders clearly and concisely. The implementation of effective communication strategies has the potential to cultivate trust and transparency, stimulate innovation, and enhance patient outcomes. Collaboration is crucial in promoting teamwork and fostering shared ownership of organizational objectives. Therefore, communication and collaboration between all parties involved in patient care, including patients, their families, physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers, must also be a top priority for leaders in the healthcare industry (White, 2020). Effective communication is crucial to encourage fall prevention since it helps ensure everyone in the organization is aware and on the same page regarding fall prevention practices, potential dangers, and initiatives for improvement. Healthcare leaders can achieve the enhancement of agility and resilience within healthcare organizations through the promotion of a collaborative and communicative culture.
Thus, agility and resilience are essential for healthcare leaders to navigate change and tackle prevailing management challenges proficiently. Healthcare leaders can effectively navigate their teams through periods of change and uncertainty by implementing models such as SLT and TLT (Labrague, 2021). Leaders can foster a culture of creativity and superior performance by cultivating essential skills and behaviors. Through prioritizing efficient collaboration and interaction, leaders can augment the agility and resilience of their organization, thereby enhancing patient outcomes and fostering high-quality care.
References
Egge, M. S. (2019). The Impact of Situational Leadership Theory on Follower Development in Fitness: An Action Research Study with Camp Gladiator (Doctoral dissertation). https://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/bitstream/handle/1969.1/186142/EGGE-THESIS-2019.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Lefebvre, J. I., Montani, F., & Courcy, F. (2020). Self-compassion and resilience at work: A practice-oriented review. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 22(4), 437-452. https://self-compassion.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Lefebvre-et-al.-2020-Self-Compassion-and-Resilience-at-Work-A-Practice.pdf
Mercedes, D. A., & Burrell, D. N. (2022). Managerial adaptability and strategic business change in the age of COVID-19. PSU Research Review, 6(3), 190-204. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/PRR-12-2020-0046/full/html
Thomas, A., & Suresh, M. (2022). Readiness for agility, adaptability, and alignment in healthcare organizations. IISE Transactions on Healthcare Systems Engineering, 1-14. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24725579.2022.2144966
White, C. (2020). The role of group membership and social identity leadership on the resilience of Royal Air Force personnel (Doctoral dissertation, Loughborough University). https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/thesis/The_role_of_group_membership_and_social_identity_leadership_on_the_resilience_of_Royal_Air_Force_personnel/16565856/files/30663842.pdf
Labrague, L. J. (2021). Pandemic fatigue and clinical nurses’ mental health, sleep quality, and job contentment during the covid‐19 pandemic: The mediating role of resilience. Journal of nursing management, 29(7), 1992-2001. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8237073/
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