A Leadership Development Plan

Introduction

The change managementt is one of the most dynamic processes in an organization (Cummings and Worley 2014). In the modern-day world, the organizations are expected to re-direct their business processes, resources and the budget allocations so that they can survive in this competitive world (Langley et al. 2013). There is greater implication of changes in the operations as the modern-day organizations are inclined towards achieving greater operational efficiency (Reason 2016). The process of change management requires extensive leadership abilities to be a successful one.

In my earlier organization, I was employed as the Operations Manager of ABC Hospital. My organization relied heavily on the manual process and there was little intervention of the technological advancements. The clinicians and the nurses however used little bit of technology due to their medical nature of work. However, the administration was totally a manual one, which caused severe problems.

I was involved in the implementation of IT software known as Electronic Medical Record (EMR) in the organization. The implementation process was initiated during 2014 and it took place in my hospital premises. My role was to supervise the work of the implementing an effective IT infrastructure for my organization, in order to solve the previous issues. The key people involved in the change process were IT specialists, Medical Superintendent, Training Specialist, Nursing Supervisor and the HOD-Operations.

Discussion

 The process of implementing new software in the organization needs extensive capital, labour, raw materials and others. This makes it essential to lead the change management process in the best possible way (Cameron and Green 2015). It is important to deliver required ROI, satisfy the budget allocation and complete the project within the given deadline (Johnston and Marshall 2016). The leader is also supposed to generate the workforce commitment towards the new process and gain their support as well as cooperation. He should be able to tap the potential opportunities which would mean fulfillment of the organizational goals (Kuipers et al. 2014). The leaders should also make sure that the employee resistances are minimized, if it is present.

I was involved in computerizing of my hospital and removing the manual records that were used earlier. I was observant of the fact that the manual records used were not up to the mark and it cost the hospital millions of revenues. I performed market data and saw that the other hospitals are actively using the computerized patient records and they can streamline their operations process in a better manner. I consulted the department heads and took their viewpoint while designing the blueprint of the change management process. As opined by Judge and Zapata (2015), the Big Five personality traits, which is a part of the Traits Theory concentrates on the openness to experience and agreeableness. I am open to experience new things and give unusual ideas to help my organization achieve desired goals. When there was loss of revenue due to the manual systems and there was subsequent increase in the patient dissatisfaction rates, then I pondered on how to improve my existing organization condition. I became imaginative and independent, which showcased my personal preferences of enhancing the organizational dynamics. I thought of devising a suitable mechanism that would solve the existing operational problems. This made me to devise the new IT software implementation in the hospital. During the implementation of the change process, I showed cooperative as well as compassionate approach towards my fellow colleagues so that the project turns out to be a success. As a leader, I cannot be antagonistic as well as suspicious towards my team members. I trusted my team members and I gave my helpful hand to the team as and when required.

I considered that change is inevitable for sustaining in the competitive world. The manual records in the hospital were clumsy, lacked clarity and difficult to retrieve when needed. There was loss of valuable time and this reduced the customer satisfaction rates. According to the “Hersey- Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory”, there are four distinct attributes of the leaders such as telling, selling, participating and delegating (McCleskey 2014). I engaged in sharing my vision of implementing the EMR system in the hospital to the major stakeholders. I convinced them about the probable benefits of the organization from the new IT system. I said that there would be an increase in the patient satisfaction rates as well as employee improvement rates. This is due to the fact the new IT system would streamline the workflows, which would be beneficial for the employees as well as satisfy the patients. I took the view points of each of my team members and they seemed to be happy with my idea. I also considered their individual contributions. This made me to delegate tasks as per their expertise and gain support from them. This made me realizes that the change process would help the hospital to meet its long-term vision as well as increase its revenue generation.

My goal was to convince my team members about the new idea, gain their approval and bring new software in the organization, which would be beneficial in the day to day operations. I needed to influence maximum number of people in the organization, coordinate with the IT specialists and know the feasibility of such a project. I know that communication is one of the most important aspect of a leader and hence I got a clear idea from the IT team regarding the loopholes as well as advantages of EMR system.

I was successful in implementing the change in the organization. I found that some of the most important leadership traits include transparency, confidence, inspiration, integrity, patience an innovation. I found these qualities useful in the process of EMR implementation.  I have learned that it is important to enhance the leadership capabilities through practice. I used to have leadership qualities but it improved after I implemented the IT software.

Leadership Development Plan

It is important to develop an action plan which would help me to imbibe qualities of an effective leader. The two actions are described as below-

• Set clarity in vision- I have learnt from my past experiences that it is important to determine clear vision while engaging in the leadership process. In the future, if I face the task of managing the change process, I would first write down my detailed vision and the exact things I am trying to achieve. I would then perform a feasibility study to determine if it is actually wise to go with the particular change process. I should also engage in the process of communicating my vision to the major stakeholders.

• Be role model- I should set an example to my juniors and my team so that they can get motivated. They must admire their leaders and I should take appropriate in every phase of the change management process. I would like to remodel my qualities so that I can present myself well before my team. I should enhance my participation in the change management activity and should made conscious effort to create a positive image of myself in the minds of my colleagues. I would act in a more responsible and people friendly way if I am given to handle a change process.

References

Cameron, E. and Green, M., 2015. Making sense of change management: a complete guide to the models, tools and techniques of organizational change. Kogan Page Publishers.

Cummings, T.G. and Worley, C.G., 2014. Organization development and change. Cengage learning.

Johnston, M.W. and Marshall, G.W., 2016. Sales force management: Leadership, innovation, technology. Routledge.

Judge, T.A. and Zapata, C.P., 2015. The person–situation debate revisited: Effect of situation strength and trait activation on the validity of the Big Five personality traits in predicting job performance. Academy of Management Journal, 58(4), pp.1149-1179.

Kuipers, B.S., Higgs, M., Kickert, W., Tummers, L., Grandia, J. and Van der Voet, J., 2014. The management of change in public organizations: A literature review. Public Administration, 92(1), pp.1-20.

Langley, A., Smallman, C., Tsoukas, H. and Van de Ven, A.H., 2013. Process studies of change in organization and management: Unveiling temporality, activity, and flow. Academy of Management Journal, 56(1), pp.1-13.

McCleskey, J.A., 2014. Situational, transformational, and transactional leadership and leadership development. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 5(4), p.117.

Reason, J., 2016. Managing the risks of organizational accidents. Routledge.

Belias, D. and Koustelios, A., 2014. The impact of leadership and change management strategy on organizational culture. European scientific journal, 10(7).

Hayes, J., 2014. The theory and practice of change management. Palgrave Macmillan.