Leadership in Leading Teams

Leading teams in health and social care have become a fundamental leadership strategy that promotes the outcomes of care. The mainly distinctive characteristic of a team in the health and social care is shared vision towards attaining the desired goals. The features of an effective performance are established by exhibiting positive leadership. Accordingly, an effective team will forever work in harmony, remain focused, as well as always support each other along the journey to attain the set goals in care settings. This is because each team member understands their roles besides responsibilities (Luthra & Dahiya, 2015, pp. 43). In addition, team performance will too be more effective as long as there is mutual respect amid the teams and team leader (Kumar, Adhish & Deoki, 2014, pp. 82). Thus, the skill of communication is the fundamental to effective leadership. The paper will examine the role and importance of leadership when leading the team to improve home rating using theoretical models, motivating the team through stages of team development, and ways of encouraging open and effective communication.

The case study of The Lawn Residential Care Home provides great insights regarding leadership strategies in managing teams. Leadership is more and more illustrated within policy along with theory as an act that is primary to all staff at all levels, as well as one which is progressively allied to the upgrading, as well as revolution of health plus social care services. Hence, the fortitude of leadership is the capability to fashion vision, motivation along with impetus among different teams. There is an increasing confidence that the prospective leadership may be cultivated among different individuals and distributed all through organizations that will boost mutual along with integrative working to enlighten plus supply to the all-purpose vision of the organization. This is reflected in health along with social care approach where the significance of cultivating, recognizing, as well as facilitating ability with leadership at all levels is ever more prioritized. This part will examine the theoretical models in importance and role of leadership when leading a team to improve home rating (Kumar, Adhish & Chauhan, 2014, pp. 138).

Leadership fundamentally entails constant change, crafting vision, and engaging people in handling the changing circumstances whilst working towards achieving this vision. Hartley and Allison (2003) investigate the function of leadership in the perspective of the transformation, as well as development of health as well as social care services in The Lawn Residential Care Home (Hartley & Allison, 2003, pp. 296). While defining leadership, the authors differentiate amid three diverse components: the person, the position, in addition to the processes (or 3Ps). Several studies have often emphasized on the features, skills, behaviors, and approaches of managers as people, as well as the responsibility of people in influencing actions along with the situations (Foster-Turner, 2006, pp. 37). Nonetheless, the authors’ “3Ps” emphasize the significance of broader contextual responsiveness too. Rodgers and Reynolds (2003) included the 4^th P-purpose- that is a prompt that objective responsiveness is also important. The 4Ps attributes are important while considering the approach leadership theories function in work, comprising the restrictions of distinct group explanations. Thus, they too support more critical thinking plus remove thoughts of leadership founded on personality traits of an individual.

Leadership Theories

The 4Ps play an important role in comprehending leadership as a system of procedures, which happen between plus across persons, teams, as well as organizations. This implies that the duty of a leader in regard to these processes is not to have extraordinary skill to recommend resolutions to challenges. Rather, leaders should work with other individuals in teams to establish practical means of handling problems where they might not be understood or set of solutions at The Lawn Residential Care Home. In addition, the 4Ps offer a comprehensive avenue of reflection regarding leadership in action, and they reflect the four building pillars of a wholly rounded, caring leader as the basis to resourceful and efficient leadership, as well as management of health along with social care services (Marquis & Huston, 2009, pp. 95).

John Adair created the model of leadership founded on three interrelated circles, to symbolize what Adair recommends are three typical, but interconnected areas involved in each leadership state. This model indicates that a triumphant leader would be experienced at acknowledging the requirements of the organization besides where they congregate or diverge. The needs of the Adair model are: task; individual, and team needs.

Task needs: The variation amid a team in addition to an unsystematic team of persons is that the team has a universal objective, plus rationale. Accordingly, if the team in job does not attain the needed product or a consequential outcome, the team would become aggravated. Numerous organizations have a primary job: to offer a service, generate profit, or even survive amid competition in The Lawn Residential Care Home. Consequently, attaining goals is a chief decisive factor of achievement for a leader (Alban-Metcalfe & Alimo-Metcalfe, 2009, pp. 11).

Team needs: To attain the goals, the team needs should be in unity. Every person should be working in a harmonized way in similar course to attain these needs. Resourceful teamwork would make sure that the input of the team is superior to the total of its constituents. In addition, a clash in the team should be utilized effectively: variations might be prolific and result in novel ideas, or they may be fruitless where they may create pressure within the team and deficiency of teamwork in The Lawn Residential Care Home (Louise & Wendy, 2006, pp. 263).

Individual Needs: In working teams, the perons as well have own needs. These individuals should understand what their roles are and the way they are performing them. Furthermore, they require a chance to demonstrate their potential, as well as assume roles, and they need to get recognition for their success in accomplishing tasks (Adair, 2007, pp. 67).

According to Adair’s model, the responsibility of a leader is to be responsive of and to manage pressures between the diverse needs of a team as a result of frequent disagreements between individuals in the teams. This call for “efficient” strategy to leadership, which demands the leader to describe the job, plan, assess, motivate, systematize, as well as become a role model. If for example, the leader of nursing home as it is in case study focuses all their endeavors on the task of optimizing the number of patients admitted to it, whilst ignoring the training, support, as well as motivation of team members, there might be short-term benefits. Nevertheless, for some time, team affiliates are probable to drop motivation, plus make less attempt than they are able to that will, in turn, have pessimistic effect on the results of the home (Yukl, 2010, pp. 18).

James Macgregor Burns originals utilized the concept “transformational leadership” in 1978. Burns considered transformational leadership entailed the accomplishment of “higher order” needs, as well as establishment of a sequence of promoting motivation, with both the leader along with the individuals being led eventually being factually “transformed” as persons in the course of attaining the set vision. Studies have established that charisma is the constituent transformational leadership at The Lawn Residential Care Home (Page, 2004, pp. 251). Thus, this leadership style has been deemed to be an “ultimate” of leadership, which goes past a straightforward subject of charisma. Even so, it is as well vital to comprehend the background where the manager is working.  The theory surpasses the conventional technique of transactional leadership (that emphasizes on management, organization, as well as team performance) and stresses that individuals work more resourcefully if they have logic of mission of The Lawn Residential Care Home (Botting, 2011, pp. 14). In addition, the theory demands that leaders should communicate their vision in a mode that is important, exciting and fashions harmony amongst the team members in home setting, as well as enhances a cooperative goal. In addition, the theory requires that the manager is dedicated, has vision, and is in a position to empower members in the team; hence, qualifying as transformational leader. These leaders have the power to stimulate performance past the anticipations via their capability to persuade their attitudes (Al-Mailam, 2004, pp. 278).

A contingency theory of leadership plays a leading in influencing the performance of teams in health and social care home at the Lawn Residential Care Home. The theory asserts that there are specific elements of the situation, which might influence the effectiveness of leadership. Originally theorized by Fiedler in 1967, it holds situational states normally investigated in the contingency theory apprehension task in question or organization, the power of the leader, as well as the interpersonal relationship of the leader plus team members in home setting. The leader usually high in task course could do best in low, as well as high control circumstances while a leader high in relations course could do best in modest control circumstances. In addition, the model appears majorly correct in regard to forecasting performance in The Lawn Residential Care Home (Vogus & Sutcliffe, 2007, pp. 998). The performance would be most excellent for teams led by leaders where the state is allied to the leader’s task or relations course. In several instances, team in home setting face different circumstance because they handle clients from diverse backgrounds and leaders need to align their tasks based on these situations by creating an effective environment for the teams to handle these situations effectively. Thus, leadership style based on contingencies will influence team unity and supportive atmosphere towards delivering the needed care (Marta, Leritz, & Mumford, 2005, pp. 98).

Situational leadership model demands that efficient leaders ought to respond to every novel challenge by fine-tuning their style based on the circumstances and acknowledging that greater consideration must be to the background which both the leaders and teams work in The Lawn Residential Care Home. The leadership approach displayed by the leader relies on the immediate environment where it is used. This theory strengthens the consideration that leaders are accountable for supporting development, both in themselves plus their teams (Northouse, 2010, pp. 39). This means that leaders should have adequate self-awareness to be in a position to make informed decisions when it is necessary act and allow the team to respond and take the lead. The theory recognizes that effective leadership requires effective followership, where the relationship between the teams and the leader is encouraged at The Lawn Residential Care Home (Vroom & Jago, 2007, pp. 19).

The theoretical models offer a methodical perspective of an incident in health as well as social care setting through detailing the associations amongst variables along with propositions with the purpose of explaining or forecasting an incident within the health beside social care environment. This will ensure that the leaders notify their respective teams of these variables, as well as propositions permitting the leaders to consider program accomplishment along with contextual variable (Lenfant, 2003, pp. 869). These model s will provide a prospect that will specify the contextual circumstances, which will influence the efficiency of the intervention of care services and allow the teams to reflect on the suitable intervention founded on the leader’ understanding. Consequently, comprehending the influence that contextual variable at health and social care setting have on program accomplishment along with the outcomes will encourage effective utilization of the intervention in alternative settings. This will permit the leaders to create the necessary intervention through the efforts of the teams within the setting (Al-Sawai, 2013, pp. 287).

In addition, theoretical models offer several advantages to care services teams. They assist to recognize the suitable research question, as well as target group; elucidate techniques along with measurement issues; offer more comprehensive along with educational descriptions, as well as encouraging implementation conditions; expose inadvertent effects; help in study and the explanation of results; as well as the effective utilization of an intervention to different home settings that the teams operate (Barr & Dowding, 2008, pp. 12).

In a team, when a conflict arises, it is crucial to address the situation immediately rather than postponing. Thus, it is paramount that the situation affecting the team is solved. As a Quality Monitoring Officer, I must maintain focus on what need to be done, not what should not be done-always keep things positive, remind all the team members to “attack the challenge, not the individual”. This would permit the challenge to be resolved and everybody in the team may proceed in accomplishing the goals of the The Lawn Residential Care Home. Therefore, the leader should endeavor to encourage honest communication between teammates and we must welcome diverse views. Always remind the team members to express their feelings and views in a manner that does not censure others. Additionally, everybody must be asked to accept responsibility for their portion in their problem. There is the need to ensure that each member is given the opportunity to air their concerns and that others listen to comprehend another person’s viewpoint , before the leader gives own view (Al-Mailam, 2004, pp. 279). Team members should be encouraged to respect the viewpoints of other-all team members are crucial and deserve the same respect along with recognition in the Lawn Residential Care Home. Communication styles play a leading role of diverse team members and the way this may contribute to resolving the conflict at hand. Communicating with the teams will allow better solution towards eliminating the conflict and that do not re-emerge.

The Bruce Tuckman Theory Diagram

It is essential to develop an effective team through adopting the stages of team development to motivate teams at The Lawn Residential Care Home. Accordingly, establishing an effective team within the home setting in the case study to promote care, it is essential to fashion a suitable organizational environment. Bruce Tuckman explained four primary stages of team development that are obligatory to promote motivation in a specific team. The four stages of development created by Bruce are Forming, Storming, Norming, as well as Performing. Transforming or Adjourning was added as the 5^th stage of team development. Forming is the primary stage in team building, where members are doubtful regarding their duties, customs, regulations, as well as anticipations (Kumar, Deshmukh & Adhish, 2014, pp. 208). Storming is the next stage of Bruce’s team development in which team members tend to get into defensiveness, jealously, as well as conflict in regard to the roles plus their characters; the team members can become critical of the leader or manager plus other team members. The subsequent stage is norming where the team members tend to be familiar to each other, concur on established norms, job behaviors, along with the systems to abide by. Performing is the fourth stage in which the team members work with positive beside resourceful attitude to attain the set goals. In the transforming/adjourning stage being the 5^th stage, following the completion of team duties, team members will bring a sense of closure along with bonding among the team members (Raup, 2008, pp. 403).

Motivation is achieving some desired goals via endeavors of others. It is vital for the team leader to sustain the team through motivation to attain the desired outcomes. Motivated members will always work to deliver high-quality job to meet the goals of the organization. The factors that motivate team members include power, finances, attractive position and improved self-respect on accomplishing different duties (Miner, 2005, pp. 57). Accordingly, through motivation, a member of the team at The Lawn Residential Care Home can perform better and adds quality to the assigned tasks. Motivating workers is not a one time or a episodic process but a continuing action both in awful and good moment an individual, team or an organization experience (Kumar et al., 2014, pp. 208).

According to Maslow theory, an individual at The Lawn Residential Care Home performs to satisfy his/her needs that are believed to be in the form of hierarchy. Therefore, in a team setting, there is the need to first accomplish physiological needs that are essential to survival of the team members that comprise compensation, along with working conditions. Once the physiological needs of the individuals team members has been attained, the next need must be met, that is, safety/security of the team members that include job security, health insurance among others. This will be followed by satisfying social needs that includes connecting with other team members and being accepted in the team. The above needs are lower needs and once it has been attained, the team members will need to work for higher order needs, such as self-esteem, where the team members will embrace self-respect, along with appreciation. The final stage of the Maslow theory is self-actualization that will be attained when individual team members is self-driven to execute team roles and could work for growth and self-fulfillment within the team in The Lawn Residential Care Home (Kumar et al., 2014, pp. 121).

According to the Herzberg Two Factor theory, within a team in The Lawn Residential Care Home, there is either satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Team members will either encounter satisfaction or dissatisfaction in their assigned roles. In a team, job dissatisfaction can be lowered through hygiene factors, such as compensation, facilities (health insurance, housing, and working conditions in The Lawn Residential Care Home). Poor hygiene factors that will make team members dissatisfied, as well as irritated, but the absence of the factors will not make team members to be excited to work that may be determined by the nature of job itself. The determinants of job satisfaction that should be promoted among the team members that are fundamentally motivators that include the work itself, responsibility, advancement, as well as appreciation. The absence of these motivators in a team environment will result in dissatisfaction in the job, in which the team members would not be discontented if the hygiene factors were there in The Lawn Residential Care Home (Kumar et al., 2014, pp. 212).

In the case of The Lawn Residential Care, there is the need to motivate team members not only through promotion or financial rewards, but through job enrichment. The team leader should endeavor to focus  on job enrichment (the job itself as seen in the theories) as job satisfaction approach when financial rewards plus hygiene factors will not be improved or no longer motivate the team members at The Lawn Residential Care. Job enrichment is an outstanding motivation tool to ensure that the team members in the care setting are motivated and get novel skills for the job (Kumar, Adhish & Deoki, 2014, pp. 14).

Leaders, senior management and teams within The Lawn Residential Care Home should embrace effective and open communication to promote team development towards providing appropriate and safe care. Effective, open and accurate communication in the home setting functions as a vital factor to develop an efficient and successful leader or manager that will ensure that teamwork is promoted resulting in efficiency. Therefore, it is vital that senior management and their teams learn an approach to communicate absolutely  because this would not only assists to complete jobs productively; however also allow better team development and attainment of organizational goals (Kunzle, Kolbe & Grote, 2010, pp. 11).

 Thus, communication will allow the managers, and leaders to develop appropriate strategies that will enable better coordination within the teams in the organization that will always motivate them. In addition, effective communication skills assist to cultivate improved understanding along with beliefs amongst the teams, motivate them to follow the principles along with values that their leader needs to instill them. Thus, the lack of effective communication in The Lawn Residential Care Home will result in failure to develop teams that will not allow the organization the organization to attain goals set by the leaders and managers and by the organization (Avolio, 2007, pp. 26). The following are ways of encouraging open and effective communication among leaders, senior management and teams towards development of teams at The Lawn Residential Care Home:

Trust is a powerful instrument, which can increase dependability, honesty, along with gives the organization an added advantage in instance of uncertainly.  Trust building acts comprise communication management, sourcing the appropriate networks, optimistic conversation regarding what else to be performed, plus feedback of communication. Hence, trust is not build; however, it is gained where good and efficient leaders understand the significance of sustaining and building trust towards facilitating effective and open communication that will allow team development. The teams will trust their leaders and senior managers that will be free to communicate whenever necessary. Building trust is essential in ensuring effective and open communication is promoted in The Lawn Residential Care Home that will allow communication with the leaders, senior management and teams that will promote interactions (Huang, Kahai & Jestice, 2010, pp. 1099).

 Leaders and senior management should always coordinate to put all possible efforts with their assistance of their teams to have confidence in the organization’s leadership. Thus, communication plays a primary function in building trust through fashioning an atmosphere that will empower leaders and senior managers to lead competently motivating the teams to work plus achieve the desire goal in The Lawn Residential Care Home. This will eventually result in team development that will increase the efficiency in the organization. Thus, communication will not be possible where teams do not trust their leader and manager since they cannot stimulate, motivate, and involve the team members (Day, Gronn & Salas, 2004, pp. 858).

In The Lawn Residential Care Home, leaders and senior management should create opportunities for the different teams that will promote interactions. Creating opportunities for the teams to interact is greatly efficient approach for promoting collaboration and communication. In many instances, teams will work effectively whenever they are given the opportunities by the senior management and leaders because they can freely interact and share ideas and concerns that will promote communication (Judge, Piccolo & Ilies, 2004, pp. 38). These teams and groups within the home setting may be either formal or informal. Hence, encouraging open conversation, collaborative rounds, executing preoperative and postoperative team briefings, as well as crafting interdisciplinary teams will allow the leaders and senior managers to promote teamwork that result in team development within the home setting. The team development will permit the leaders along with managers to identify better the challenges and find solutions since interactions will promote communication.

Leaders and senior managers have the role of developing a supportive environment that will ensure that there is free flow of communication that is two-way, that is, bottom-top and top-bottom. They should develop an environment that will ensure that teams communicate effectively. Good communication skills encourage in creating an ambiance for outstanding understandings of what is being communicated plus encourage the teams with the home to blindly follow their leader and senior manager (Sutcliffe, Lewton & Rosenthal, 2004, pp. 187). The atmosphere should allow the teams and individuals to air their concerns and complements freely to their leaders and managers through established channels without any impediment. Therefore, promoting an environment of respect and trust, accountability, situational responsiveness, open communication, boldness, feedback along with shared decision-making is avenues for better communication within The Lawn Residential Care Home. This will allow the managers and leaders to better understand how to develop effective teams within the organization.

Leaders and senior management at The Lawn Residential Care Home should endeavor to use modern technologies that will ensure that they freely interact with the teams. They should conscious with the utilization of all the communication technologies along with channels, such as face-to-face meetings, telephone conferences, emails, social networking sites (SNSs). This will facilitate better communication between the leaders, senior management, and teams where they keep in touch will all the people in the organization and to motivate them each time (Avolio, 2007, pp. 27).  

The negative reading was because of the management to adequately address communication issues that the home was facing. In order to promote communication in The Lawn Residential Care Home, the management should endeavor to hold regular meetings with the different teams. This is important because it will cement the teams and ensure that they manage teams adequately, Meetings will play a leading role in making sure that the employees will provide feedback and ensure that they air their issues and ensure that they come in touch with employees.

Conclusions

In modern health and social care environment, there is the increasing need to promote teamwork to increase efficiency. Leadership has become paramount in creating the necessary environment that will allow them to manage teams effectively teams. Communication is paramount in allowing the development of teams that has been efficient is dealing with the ever-changing health and social care environment. Hence, skills of team building are necessary for each leader and manager in the organization. The teams are lively as well as are crafted for ensuring that the organization attains the desired goals. It is crucial for the team leader to take the teams via creation phases and shift to productive phase.

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