Power is the influence that one has over other people’s actions in an organization. It is essential in healthcare because people in power make key decisions that guide strategy and the organization’s culture. Power also ensures the management of resources. One characteristic of power is the dependence between the two parties who interact (Şimşek, 2020). The constant management of the influence over other people’s actions is known as politics. Healthy politics can lead to the success of healthcare organizations. It encourages people of different interests and characteristics to share power. The diversity of people in power is beneficial because it offers the organization a competitive advantage over other organizations. Additionally, it provides employee satisfaction, and employees perform at their best.
One feature of power and politics is that it is a source of conflict. When people are diverse, they tend to have different opinions and perceptions about ideas, which may cause conflicts among them. Conflict may also arise when individuals do not get equal opportunities to get into power. How parties address, react to and overcome conflict is called conflict management. Conflict management can lead to the enhancement of corporate goals (Shrivastava et al., 2018). For instance, if individuals feel unfairly treated or that their opinion is not taken seriously, they will want to fight for themselves. In the process, they will highlight why they need to be heard in the organization, what is good for the corporation and what will lead to success. This will encourage critical thinking among the other people before reaching an agreement.
Healthcare organizations are complex due to the diversity of roles in delivering care and how providers depend on each other in the process. There are also many relationships between providers, patients, and other staff members who are all diverse. According to Cribb et al. (2021), complexity is essential in healthcare because it enhances interdependence and brings together ideas that lead to quality healthcare delivery. Healthcare systems have to adjust to the changing environment as a complex system. This means that individuals must constantly add to their knowledge and skills through learning. Learning helps people solve problems and make decisions in line with the changing trends. Every member of the organization should be continuously engaged in learning to contribute towards the organization’s shared goals and objectives.
When new processes, acts, practices or ideas are introduced and adopted into an environment; it is referred to as innovation. Nowadays, most innovations in healthcare make use of technological advancement, and service provision relies on technology as times change (Mullangi et al., 2019). Innovation is complex in healthcare, and it is not easy to understand and summarize it. However, it has led to healthcare organizations’ success by improving services with reduced costs in treating patients. It has also led to reduced death of patients because there is a solution to most health problems. Innovation and learning also benefit patients through patient education. They gain knowledge on living healthy, which leads to improved population health management.
Power, politics, conflict management, complexity, learning, and innovation are pivotal in the success of healthcare organizations. They are interrelated, and the organization cannot progress without them. Power and politics can be best promoted when individuals in the organization are given equal opportunities to be in positions of power. When diverse people are in politics, the organization will be more successful, and these people will introduce new ideas and innovations to the environment. This will also enhance unity and cohesion among teams, and they will manage conflicts in a more organized manner. Equal opportunities will also ensure that people respect each other. Making innovation and training part of the organizational culture ensures that individuals can share ideas and speak their minds. The management could also reward individuals who bring innovations to the organization. These are some of the ways that healthcare organizations can succeed.
References
Cribb, A., Entwistle, V., & Mitchell, P. (2021). Talking it better: conversations and normative complexity in healthcare improvement. Medical humanities.
Mullangi, S., Kaushal, R., & Ibrahim, S. A. (2019). Equity in the age of health care information technology and innovation: addressing the digital divide. Medical care, 57, S106-S107.
Shrivastava, S. R., Shrivastava, P. S., & Ramasamy, J. (2018). Conflict management in the field of medical education and healthcare. International Journal of Academic Medicine, 4(1), 91.
Şimşek, İ. (2020). The Politics of Healthcare Reform in Turkey.
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