Application Of Authentic And Transformational Leadership Theories In Physical And Occupational Healthcare Services

Transformational Leadership Theory

The study discusses leadership and management theories and critically assesses their application to physical and occupational health-related services for Nursing home employees. This study selects two leadership and management theories: authentic leadership and transformational leadership theory.   Occupational health is perceived as a healthcare field made up of various disciplines dedicated mainly to the safety and well-being of workers in the organization.  It generally has a robust concentration on injury prevention as well as employee education.   Generally, the practice and science of occupational and physical health involve multiple disciplines, like safety, ergonomics, occupational medicine, hygiene, nursing, and also others.  In this particular setting, the maintenance and promotions of the highest range of mental, social, and physical well-being of employees in every occupation.  Moreover, the prevention mainly amongst employees of leaving from health created by the working circumstances, the safety of employees in their jobs from risk and threat resulting from aspects unfavorable to health and well-being,  the maintenance and placing of the employees in a professional or occupational atmosphere adapted to the psychological and physiological abilities.  The leadership theories are important in promoting constant development and improvement of the abilities, skills, and knowledge of employees to improve compassion, patient experience, safety, and standard of patient medication. The leaders continuously motivate, reward, and encourage innovation as well as introduce both improved and new methods of working. These types of leaders are charismatic, enthusiastic, and concentrated on successful results.  The theory in health-related services is largely observed as the top standard in healthcare leadership theory because it fosters improved patient results and increased job satisfaction between employees.  By generating progressive connections, transformational leaders acquire the confidence and trust of their workers and predict their needs by mainly making them inherently empowered generally in terms of knowledge,  resources, and professional support,  which eventually directs to “quality of care” and work satisfaction. While authentic leadership theory equips employees with the encouragement and also skills they require to develop in the practice. The outcome is perceived as a knowledgeable and coherent unit that continuously improves patient care.  This leadership style presents mechanisms that authorize leaders to generate a supportive and also positive ambiance that mainly facilitates new employees and healthcare professionals’ change into practice as well as eventually improve employees and organizational results.

This leadership theory shifts the role of this leadership from more conventional, autocratic, and transactional approaches to mainly one that is based on collective change, inspiration, and motivation. This style of leadership utilizes compassion, charisma, and personality to engage individuals in perceiving a shared perception and vision. In this theory, followers are motivated to perform better and achieve more than expectations (Jambawo, 2018). The leaders obtain such a level of encouragement and motivation by promoting alignment goals and values of followers as well as those of the hospital. Transformational leaders must stress generating collaboration connections built on compassion against hierarchical strength and authority structure.

Application of transformational theory in occupational healthcare

 

Figure: Transformational leadership theory

(Source: Team, 2022) 

Moreover, this leadership pattern is more employee-focused than autocratic, and transactional, as well as purely task-based leadership. This leadership pattern is not as passive as well as disengaged as conventional leadership structures, and this is result-centric with the purpose to motivate and generate positive change (G?ód, 2018). In this style, the means of imparting change are the intended result part. Motivating empathy, helpful bonds, buy-in, and encouragement to certain shared vision outcomes in work satisfaction, developed morale, enhanced productivity, collaboration, and also further involvement with those shared perceptions. This promotes continuing transformative change.  This leadership style is used by hospital supervisors to guide the employees about physical health and occupational health hazards. For example, the musculoskeletal disorder is perceived as a serious concern in the context of occupational healthcare.  Harmful accidents and injuries happen repeatedly as well as often because of repeated managing of patients, which includes huge manual lifting mainly when repositioning and transferring patients as well as working in uncomfortable positions.  Moreover, lifting becomes highly complex by the growing weight of forbearing`s to be moved because of obesity and a growing amount of elderly individuals who need assistance and help with regular living activities. An occupational risk and hazard is any hospital or workplace circumstance that creates a threat to worker health.  The “Occupational safety and health administration”, the government   hospital in charge or leader of keeping employees safe and protected, has defined chief categories of “occupational hazards:

• Work organization risks: workplace discrimination, harassment, violence, and also other circumstances are risks to emotional, physical, and mental health.
• Chemical hazards: there are different types of unsafe chemicals as well as toxins in workplaces, involving cleaning products,  pesticides,  flammable liquids,  carbon monoxide, and environmental smoke.
• Safety- this involves any circumstances of hospital or workplace,  object, and substance that can harm or injure an employee,   such as working from a high height, steep stairs, machinery with different moving parts, and uncovering electrical wiring.
• Ergonomic hazard, this put a strain on the body parts over some time.  They feel cramped and sore in a short period, but continuously standing and seating in an uncomfortable position over a long-time, could direct to long-term illness and injury.
• Physical hazards or risks in the atmosphere can hurt the body without touching it such as low and high temperatures,  radiation,  and loud noise.
• Biological hazards, in some different settings like medical offices,  hospitals, zoos, and farms, employees can be revealed to biological health risks such as fungi, viruses,  blood, mold,  insect bites, and animal droppings.

In physical and occupational healthcare settings, this transformational leadership style includes the procedure of visioning and predicting desired results, examining current reality, as well as realizing the option for developed healthcare services through a cultural transformation within a company. Great leaders perceive that just merely cooperation can people obtain healthier communities (Ugwu, et al. 2020). In an occupational healthcare setting, this leadership pattern takes a multifaceted or interdisciplinary approach mainly addressing the most desired results. They determine required organizational transformation based on data of health results and input from the community, staff, and also patients. They form relationships or bonding with staff, community organizations and members, and also others to cooperatively evaluate community health requirements as well as establish a collaborative vision that matches those requirements.

The leaders utilize different methods to motivate their employees and team members to acquire a shared vision. Initially, the leaders model the transformation they desired to see. After that, they supervise and help others, facilitating and fostering leadership development. Eventually, they mainly hold themselves as well as others respond to a high level of standards, retaining all individuals concentrated on the hospital’s shared vision. This theory is also protective, not reactive. Moreover, the transformational leader’s action and vision must also involve the community, staff, and also partners in addressing mainly the main reasons for health requirements and inequities (Jankelová and Joniaková,  2021). Thus, this can include cooperatively supporting community-based programs for prevention, education programs for community health, and other measures or initiatives. The leaders in this setting concentrate on both collaboration and also relationships to upgrade health outcomes. These types of leaders listen and show empathy as well as assimilate input mainly from every stakeholder into the visions (Chatterjee et al. 2018). Therefore, this makes sure staff, community associates, and members are all perceived represented in as well as dedicated to that particular vision.

Developed results for patients, employees, and healthcare organization

  “Moving healthcare upstream” refers to this leadership style as the general denominator in change and innovation that would support realizing the objectives to upgrade health, decrease costs, and develops patient experiences. This research evidenced that, using the transformational leadership theory in a healthcare setting to a large array of interlinked positive results for staff as well as patients. This theory has been associated with effective “healthcare and nursing units”, structural empowerment and also organizational culture, improved hospital stability, and staff retention. This also can decrease turnover costs and support nurses to sharpen their skills (Žibert and Starc, 2018). Additionally, it recommends engagement as well as job satisfaction, which generally drives overall performance and develops the quality of care and services and also patients’ health results. Significantly, this leadership style and empowering hospitals have positively affected patient safety and satisfaction, and service quality in particular settings. This theory is also connected with lower mortality of patients. Effective and efficient transformational leadership style in healthcare management can distinctly improve the performance and also experience of healthcare providers. This mainly, in turn, profits patients’ health results (Krepia et al. 2018). In addition, this leadership theory concentrated on collaborative initiatives as well as community engagement can enhance a positive effect on the overall health of a community, decreasing costs of community or public healthcare process and developing health equity and fairness for everyone.

 Leadership is perceived as a procedure whereby a leader influences a team of people to accomplish a common target and goals, as well as increases the potential and efforts of employees, who wish to be mainly led by a supervisor or leader. There are many leadership theories or styles, yet no management and leadership theory is appropriate for each environment and situation. Even in the healthcare industry, authentic leadership theory has shown to be the most productive approach for healthcare providers and nurses. In addition, the study of leadership theory is impacted by a positive mentality being authentic as well as presenting ethical behavior and attitude toward employees (Anwar, Abid, and Waqas, 2019). This leadership theory can develop a positive perception and attitude among workers and this is a crucial organizational resource. The study on this theory states that authenticity and reliability has a considerable impact on how “one lives one’s life”, and the authentic leadership style leader knows “what they value and believe, who they are”, as well as responds to those certain beliefs and values while transparently communicate with others. It mainly plays an important part to shape the followers’ acts at the hospitals. For example, it begins creative performance and works for employees while forming their expectations about the further process and future. Moreover, it may support followers or employees to find a significant relationship with the work, guides workers to develop bonding and collaboration with work, and also not need tasks in a different method because this is the accountability of a supervisor and leader to encourage creativity and also hope among his team members (Seidel et al. 2019). This leadership style in a hospital or other workplace plays a vital role in establishing a healthy and organized work culture and environment for nurses. Furthermore, the “American-Association of Critical-care Nurses” presents a document or report that emphasizes “Authentic leadership theory” six standards important for maintaining as well as providing a healthy and effective hospital (Alvesson and Einola, 2019). The study on this management theory highlights various philosophical approaches mainly to upgrade followers’ well-being. The main characteristics of this theory are resilience and confidence, supporting leaders and supervisors to act mainly upon small and large organizations. Thus, they are aware and attentive to the employee’s satisfaction and well-being.

 

 Figure: Authentic leadership theory

(Source: Onlineleadershipnetwork.com, 2022)

Authentic leadership can impact the healthcare providers’ behavior and the work outcomes, like enhanced satisfaction, commitment or dedication, and trust. The healthcare sector must comprehend the value “authentic leadership theory” could bring usually to the healthcare industry and in developing the work effectiveness of nurses because the healthcare providers are required to make crucial decisions associated with various patients.

  This leadership theory is an organization and management pattern in which managers and leaders are honest, transparent, and self-aware. An authentic and genuine leader is capable of motivating loyalty as well as trust in their employees by continuously showing who they are as an individual, and also how they feel or think about their employees’ performance and work collaboration. The main characteristics of this management style are leading and assisting with heart and vision, maintaining consistency and transparency, listening skills, concentrating on long-term outcomes, and self-awareness (Alilyyani, Wong, and Cummings, 2018). Leaders who have this leadership pattern bring their entire selves to the work and also participate completely and fairly in the hospitals. Moreover, hospitals that promote authentic behavior and culture are likely to have motivated, enthusiastic and engaged employees as well as a psychologically safe environment and culture. The main focus of this style is genuineness, honesty, and transparency. Genuine leaders construct authentic connections and promote motivation and trust in their workers. However, the study discusses the bonds between authentic leadership and healthcare providers (Nightingale, 2020). This study aims to construct a theoretical framework and model that expands present perspectives on authentic leadership style as an observer of important results. The study also analyses the current research on an authentic leadership style that sometimes this theory creates stress mainly for the followers as well as in the same way, it is also observed that being genuine and authentic in an important moment is not desirable every time. Therefore, the study presents the increasing knowledge and understanding of authentic leadership style with its part in healthcare providers’ creativity and innovativeness in the organization.

Theories and frameworks used by the hospitals for occupational and physical health care

  This theory largely utilizes a theoretical framework and structure to comprehend employees’ behaviors as well as attitudes in the hospitals and also it includes a set of communication among individuals. Moreover, this elaborates the concept that “a resource would constantly flow whether there is a more valued return contingent upon it”. These resources are interchanged through a procedure of reciprocity and collaboration, whereby one person returns the positive and negative actions or measures of another person (Lloyd and Mertens, 2018). It takes place at the hospitals when sometimes particular circumstances lead to social and interpersonal connections or relationships, referred to mainly as social interchange relationships. The leaders play an imperative part in this collective and social interchange as well as it has been observed that “the character of the connection between interchange partners” may impact the social exchange procedure (Murray, Sundin. and Cope,  2018). Thus, based on this study it is possible that a worker who recognizes their leader and supervisor’s behavior and attitude to be effective and positive inclined to be included in the more effective activity, though the workers who feel otherwise would not be as effective and productive.

 Creativity and hope

In a fast-changing as well as a knowledge-based economy, innovativeness and creativity are perceived as essential instead of opportunities. The hospitals and other workplaces intend to transform the ambiance and align changing consumers’ demands. Moreover, creative followers and employees who show expectations and hopes in the hospital tend to be innovative and creative. The research on hope and expectation directs to creativity among workers. Hope is perceived as the most positive emotional and psychological state which is mainly observed as an effective and positive approach (Akerjordet, Furunes, and Haver, 2018). Thus, the agency generally refers to the direction and also motivation for positive and hopeful thinking. Generally, nursing professionals or healthcare providers have been motivating nurses to mainly pursue innovativeness and creativity mainly in the hospitals to develop healthcare results. Across the globe, healthcare providers give 80 percent of the basic healthcare. The study recommends that positive workers who trust and are confident in themselves as well as their capability to manage problems are more innovative and creative (Iszatt?White and Kempster, 2019). Likewise, workers who are mainly more dynamic and trust that they could align their objectives also experience positive impacts. Moreover, the positive behavior and attitudes of workers improve their hospital’s creativity.

  Leaders are believed to be mainly in alignment with the requirements of the followers or employees, to generally play a supportive role for employees, as well as to foster a healthy and safe work ambiance. This is also presenting that optimistic psychological resources are intrinsic qualities of most genuine and authentic leaders. Moreover, in the same way, features or attributes of this leadership style involve the positive impacts of self-regulation and self-awareness, positive attitudes of leaders or supervisors toward employees and it focuses on individuals’ strengths instead of weaknesses (Novitasari et al 2020). Correspondingly, authentic leaders of the hospitals can construct trust as well as hope with workers. Although, hope and expectation are people’s thinking regarding themselves as well as one’s future. In addition, hopes motivate individuals to evaluate their capability to acquire goals and deal with problems.

  These types of leaders are mainly recognized for performing good and doing positive things for others mainly through support from internal values and also for emphatically influencing employees’ behavior and attitude. It also develops the latter’s expectations and also hopes, optimism, positive emotions, and also trust. Moreover, such leaders present culture and environment that improves the well-being of followers.

Mediating part of hope

Authentic leadership enhances an employee’s creativity level. It could be formed through hope or expectation, which is determined as a mediator complement in the procedure. Therefore, it could provide the positive results of authentic leadership aids to instill hope in workers which support workers in accomplishing their targets while being innovative at a certain time. For example, a Portuguese retail company documented that this leadership style successfully and productively forecasts workers’ creativity and innovativeness as well as illustrates the employee’s hope and expectation intervening role. Therefore,

 Resilience or flexibility as a moderator

Resilience and flexibility are the ability and strength of a person to adapt or adjust to stressful and difficult conditions and have the capability to rapidly recover as well as overcome problems. In healthcare and nursing contexts, the “resilience” constructs have been analyzed in various research yet primarily in association with an individual’s attributes and ability. It also reflects a person’s aggressive or competitive approach, tenacity, and optimism to problem-solving as well as dedication to development in complex situations (Chua et al. 2018). People, who are objective-driven and powerful, can manage adverse conditions, and also have productive and efficient problem-solving coping methods. Healthcare providers need to reinforce their resilience to confront challenges and adjust to new circumstances along with optimistic future hopes or expectations (Purwanto, et al, 2021). Flexibility was directly associated with personal preventive factors like hope and success as well as other psychological intelligence qualities and management of emotions. Thus, the employee’s psychological capital, involving self-efficacy and resilience, has a positive effect on positive thinking and emotions such as hope and trust of the employees.

Healthcare professionals can improve resilience or flexibility by encountering inconveniences that they mainly are utilized to confront such traumatic circumstances at the organizations and also recommended that emotional or psychological capital like resilience and also confidence can impact healthcare experts’ well-being and health in the existence of authenticity. This research documented that “resilience” perceived as the people’s capability is crucial for nurses mainly to moderate the response towards the work culture and ambiance. This theory has analyzed the connection between authentic leaders and the view of subordinate flexibility, stating that a leader shows moral behaviors and attitude, is extremely self-aware as well as logical decisions or choices making develop follower resilience.

However, this study recommends that an authentic leadership style has a good and positive connection with the flexibility of workers. This is not constantly true or real that having characteristics as well as traits of a genuine leader can become the cause of lower productivity and decreases in happiness. This is the key feature of most authentic leaders or supervisors to act in harmony and peace with their key beliefs and values, without any fear of refusal and declining. Every person wishes to be acknowledged and to maintain their absolute identity. It may take place that an authentic leader’s principal values are not in line with the employee, and a harsh truth and genuineness shared by this type of leader may negatively impact employees (Qiu et al. 2019). Therefore, the research analyses whether the leaders are motivated to improve themselves mainly as authentic leadership styles, the outcomes for their employees can be harmful and can impact them psychologically.

Conclusion 

It is to conclude that a healthy and safe work ambiance that facilitates healthcare professionals and employees to improve creativity and innovation is a crucial element of quality or standard patient care. The study presents that an authentic leadership style affects creativity through resilience and expectation. In the present study, outcomes documented that this leadership theory positively impacts the expectation of nurses and employees. The outcomes implied that employees are creative and innovative at the hospitals when they mainly are feeling positive and hopeful regarding the circumstances. Although, a comparatively new view of authentic leadership style was found that their genuineness to act in line with honest self as well as choosing as per their key belief and values has negative results for resilient employees. While transformational leadership style in health-related services is observed to be one of the favorable management theories. Transformational leaders improve productivity levels and also have high and increased job satisfaction levels. Individuals who lead and direct in this form of leadership can work and perform in any type of hospital organizational setting. This leadership pattern is mainly considered to be significant to enhance patients’ safety and protection, facilitating stability between job demand and satisfaction, as well as to generate an effective patient safety environment within hospital healthcare services.

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