Weak Websites, Loyal Leadership
After my first week with Holston Medical Group (HMG), I could not be more excited to work with this amazing company. Although I am part of the Marketing Department, I am able to see first-hand how much the company cares for their patients and the relationships these patients form with their physicians. During my first day with HMG, their website, which is the primary method used by the company for patients to schedule appointments and contact specialty offices, shut down due to a software error from their provider. Once this problem with the website was discovered, my supervisor immediately contacted their software branch and ensured that every individual complaint email sent to HMG by a patient regarding the website was resolved. I greatly admired watching her do this, not only because it allowed me to see this side of a hospital chain, but also because it comforted me knowing the emphasis they place on patient satisfaction as someone whose provider is HMG.
This rapid problem solving I witnessed within my first few hours at HMG reminded me of the Contingency Theory learned in Theories and Models. This theory states there is no best method of leadership, but rather the decision for the optimal form of leadership must be made depending on the situation at hand. This was obvious with the case of the shutdown website. While my supervisor, who is the marketing manager for the company, typically may not be the one to respond to patient emails, she realized that a more caring approach was the best decision for the situation at hand, given HMG’s strong emphasis on patient-physician relationships. I admired the way she was quickly able to adjust herself depending on the situation, a skill I hope to acquire myself during this internship to help prepare me for the nursing field. As a nurse, I must always be prepared to shape myself to any situation, whether it be stressful or relaxing, triumphant or traumatic. Knowing leadership styles are contingent upon their circumstance is the primary characteristic of an exceptional leader; a quality my supervisor has already proven to have.
It is always reassuring to hear that within healthcare organizations, the patient is the top priority; sometimes it doesn’t feel that way (as a patient). Seems your supervisor was really on top of things and modeling – what seems to be – a value of the organization’s. Seems as though your supervisor was able to exert effective leadership around this matter even though responding to patient emails is not in her typical portfolio, which suggests that individuals can have influence even if they do not have a formal leadership position (she does have a formal position, but not necessarily related to this challenge). Though I realize this was not a theories in action post, you may want to reflect more on contingency a bit more, particularly if this may end up being the theory you choose when writing the paper in the fall. Remember, it is a leader-match model. The three elements that need to be considered are leader/member relations, task structure, and position power. So you may want to think about the nature of those three elements within HMG and how those enable (or hinder) your supervisor or other leaders from being effective. May also want to think about if there is another theory that holds up better (consistently) as you’re there longer.