Resources:
In a recent post we shared information on ways health care organizations can strengthen a culture of self-care for staff. In patient safety we often emphasize the importance of culture and how to improve safety culture. As the rates and cost of staff stress and burnout seem to be on the rise, expanding the discussion of safety culture to include staff self-care is critical. One key indicator of culture within an organization is how its leaders lead. The culture and leadership style of an organization are interdependent.
Organizational development literature is filled with discussion on leadership styles including the benefits and limitations associated with each and how they impact the culture of the organization. In recent years there has been an emerging shift of leadership styles in health care away from hierarchical and transactional to styles of transformational, servant and compassionate leadership.
The need for a different style of leadership in health care likely stems from the simple fact that caring is the nature of what we do. Health care work is not the same as a manufacturing operation. While we can and should learn from process improvements from other industries, we must remember at its core, health care is dealing with individuals in their most vulnerable state, in their “hour of need” every day, in every interaction. It’s personal…about as personal as anything can get.
Health care staff, especially those on the front line, is constantly faced with the challenge of completing complex tasks timely, safely and efficiently; following policy and procedures, rules and regulations; AND trying to do all this while being caring to their patients. This balancing act is made even more precarious if the leadership within the organization is not focused on creating a work environment that values staff well-being or sees the value in the caring side of health care.
Recent research and initiatives in leadership are demonstrating that the impact of depersonalizing interactions with staff is not working. Leaders and leadership models devoid of caring are no longer sustainable in health care.
There are several styles of leadership identified in the literature that are rooted in caring, compassion and nurturing. The three most popular include transformational, servant and compassionate leadership. In this post, we will not go into detail about each style, instead have pulled out common threads and specific characteristics of leaders that cultivate a culture of wellbeing and caring for staff (and patients as well).
As you read through this list you may want to select those you would like to strengthen or learn more to foster that characteristic in your own style of leadership and within your organization.
The goal of the information shared is to spark your interest in reflecting on your own leadership style and identify how you might support yourself and your staff (and therefore your patients) by creating a culture of self-care. There are many resources available to dive deeper into these leadership frameworks and you are encouraged to research more about them.
CPS has created an easy way to begin to be a leader who “walks the talk” of Self-Care by exploring the video resources CPS has developed. If your organization is interested in learning more about how you can support your staff in making self-care a priority, please check out the Self-Care videos.