There are many components that make up the vast and ever-growing healthcare industry, but one of the most important of those components is information technology. In an industry as vitally important as healthcare, having top-notch IT is non-negotiable. IT management includes finance, infrastructure and projects, information systems, helpdesk, governance and cybersecurity, and business analytics/innovation.
With so many moving parts involved, having an in-depth understanding of information technology and how to lead others through its various challenges can create empowerment that keeps your team moving forward.
Understanding IT Management Styles
A management style refers to the characteristics that define the way someone leads and manages a team. Whether in a classroom setting or a workplace, in a remote position, or working face to face with patients, leadership and management of the team become crucial to the success of an organization. Because people and businesses are all vastly different, no two management styles will be the same. There are, however, some broad categories that exist to help define some of the various types of management styles.
Under an effective management style, IT can drive healthcare organizations from a localized entity to a fully integrated community partner. Under technical leadership, an organization might find ways to build online applications that help those who cannot travel to receive a diagnosis from one of their network doctors. Transformational leaders will use the infrastructures in place to better empower their employees. This could mean increasing access to tools and resources that allow professionals in the building to better provide information to patients, insurance companies, and more.
The current and future growth of your organization could help determine what type of IT leader you need to help push your important work forward.
Key Elements of Effective Healthcare IT Management
Managing IT in healthcare settings comes with its own unique set of challenges and demands. The goal of technology within the healthcare field is broad and incorporates many aspects of the field, including maintaining confidential information, ensuring that such information is available when needed, facilitating the proper movement of information, and so much more.
Information Security
For the healthcare industry in particular, the privacy of information that is stored is of utmost importance and can, therefore, pose certain challenges in IT management. Some regulatory requirements, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology For Economic and Clinical Act (HITECH), make it imperative that IT management services are secure from breaches and even cybersecurity threats.
Data Management
So much of IT management in healthcare revolves specifically around data management. Because everyone, in some way, has healthcare-related data that needs to be stored, there is an overwhelming amount of data to be managed.
Patient Care
It can sometimes be a challenge for healthcare companies to stay ahead of the ever-evolving updating of technological systems in the way that is needed to ensure efficient and proper care for patients.
Effective leadership in healthcare IT is not a one-size-fits-all kind of task. Healthcare technology leadership that builds up the team and company must be flexible in implementing a specific approach that is tailored to its own particular group of individuals. It will be a delicate balance of encouraging each individual to use their talents to meet the needs of the company as a whole.
A team in which each individual feels seen and as though they are being used according to their specific giftings and talents will be more encouraged to perform to their best ability than someone who believes they are simply filling a vague role that anyone can fill. In addition, a team made up of individuals like this will have more incentive to work together for the greater good of the company.
Top Five IT Management Styles for Healthcare Organizations
There are many IT management strategies that are effective and useful, but the one that will be most effective for any group of people will depend on the personality of that group of people. A leader who seeks to make a difference for their company must know their team well and understand how they will best be able to work together.
Transformational Leadership
Transformational leadership is a widely used technique for leading a team of any type of individual. This style is built on the practice of inspiring and encouraging people through motivational means. This may look like encouraging team members to work towards positive change for the future. This style also encourages team members to work together in pursuit of reaching one positive shared goal.
This style of leadership can be particularly influential for teams within the healthcare industry, where there is a high moral regard. Many healthcare professionals go into their profession partly because they desire to do good for and toward other people. This alone is inspiring for many people who are desiring a sense of purpose in their lives.
Some of the attributes of a leader adopting and implementing this style would be to encourage creativity, innovation, collaboration, adaptability, and a viewpoint that embraces change in a positive light.
Servant Leadership
At its very basic level, healthcare centers around the act of taking care of people and serving them in a way that leaves them better off. The servant leadership management approach emphasizes empathy and care to a greater extent than other styles. Leaders implementing this style see themselves as being in a position to lead through servitude, thereby encouraging their followers and/or employees to do the same.
The healthcare industry is made up of numerous professionals and administrators, all of whom have distinct roles to play that are each as vitally important as the others. Physicians, nurses, technicians, helpdesk personnel, administration staff, and others each play crucial parts in ensuring the medical world continues spinning around. The servant leadership approach can be helpful in encouraging harmony between people in these various roles.
Collaboration is also a huge need in the healthcare industry. The well-being of one patient can oftentimes depend upon the ability of multiple personnel to work together. When the leader of a team exemplifies their desire to serve the patient over a desire to be in control or have utmost authority, the patient’s needs are best served.
Agile Leadership
Agile leadership is exactly what it sounds like: flexible. Leaders who implement this style of leadership emphasize the importance of being flexible and able to accept change in a positive way, using it for the good of the team and company. In the world of healthcare, being agile is important in the face of uncertainties surrounding policies, government programs, insurance companies, changing technology, and more.
Agile leaders also implement strategies such as quick decision-making. This is often exhibited through encouraging and enabling members of the team to be confident in the decisions they make and helping them to learn from past decisions made, right or wrong. In addition, adaptability is encouraged and exemplified.
Democratic Leadership
Democratic leadership is a style that encourages collaboration among team members. Rather than a team being led by one individual or a few select people, various members of the team are used to guide conversation and decision-making. One of the more important values fostered in this style of leadership is respect among the team. Because everyone has a voice, each team member is encouraged to share in respectful regard for one another.
This style of leadership can be particularly helpful for teams that are made up of people with an array of skills and knowledge. This model allows everyone to bring their best to the table and share with the group for the good of the whole. Being able to do so, in turn, encourages and empowers each person. This can also help in cases in which changes need to be made because it allows many viewpoints to be heard and taken into consideration.
Strategic Leadership
The strategic leadership model is built on the ability and capability of leaders to recognize, implement, and encourage one central plan of action for a team that is in line with the goals of the company. Leaders are also able to create specific strategies that will help the team reach their goal. Many components are included in this process, such as making quick and informed decisions, using resources in the proper manner, and managing resources well.
Some ways this leadership model may play out may be in the form of data interpretation, integrating new technologies, implementing preventative healthcare strategies, and encouraging patient-centered care. The strategic leader is always looking out for ways in which they can encourage and equip a team to implement new things for the good of the company. They acknowledge the benefits of change and use these to the advantage of the team and company.
Each leadership style provides a unique opportunity to guide the way information technology can help you.
The needs of your patients, your staff, and your growth could be rooted in simply identifying the right leadership strategy to keep your systems functioning efficiently.
Implementing an Effective Management Style in Healthcare IT
The first step in leading any team well is to understand the individuals that make up your team. Each person will bring a unique blend of talents and gifts to the table, and it is in the leader’s best interest to understand how each individual’s talents can work with everyone else’s in harmony. This goal can be reached through spending time getting to know your team, actively listening to them, and observing their strengths and weaknesses in the workplace.
In the healthcare industry, leadership is particularly important because how a team is led will have an indirect impact on the patients who are being taken care of. Strong leadership will strengthen the quality of care provided. The quality of care affects the productivity of the industry and is, therefore, of utmost importance.
Knowing how to lead a team well comes through personal experience. However, there are some tips and tricks that can help any leader foster a positive environment in which a team can flourish, particularly when considering information technology.
Leadership Style
Determine which leadership style best suits you as a leader and your team. When it comes to leadership styles, there is no one-size-fits-all. Oftentimes, the best leadership style will be a blend of multiple styles that implement various aspects of each other. Which of these aspects should be included can be determined through trial and error.
Trial and Error
Keep close track of what seems to work and what doesn’t. In the world of IT management, many things are constantly changing. Whether this is with respect to operations, team members themselves, outside circumstances, or other variables, it is important to keep tabs on what is working well for your team and what is not.
Communication
Keep communication open and frequent within your team. Things often get lost or misunderstood in communication, so maintaining an open form of communication among and between team members is vital to the progress of the company.
Case Studies and Examples
In the case of Addison Gilbert Hospital in Massachusetts, which began to provide new services for its patients, research found that hiring a full-time project manager to oversee these new implementations was crucial for its success. Skills such as communication, team facilitation, project management, and more were required to be able to implement new strategies and policies within the company in a way that actually worked.
Another crucial skill for managers to exhibit was found in this study, which was the ability to get staff to buy into the goals that were being pursued. It was found that the ability to lead a team well was even more vital than clinical or medical experience, surprisingly enough.
IT Management Styles Reviewed
There are many important factors that contribute to an effective healthcare IT management strategy. Whether you believe your organization will thrive under a transformational, servant leader, democratic, agile, or strategic IT management style, it is important to get to know and understand the individuals who make up your team first. You’ll need to learn under which style/styles of leadership they best operate via trial and error. Alternatively, you can consult with Healthcare ITSM for advice, support, and IT management information.
If you have questions about your IT management strategies, contact Healthcare ITSM today.
Sources:
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- Kaila, S. (2023, November 7). 8 Effective Management Styles for Technical Teams. DevPro Journal. https://www.devprojournal.com/software-development-trends/leadership/8-effective-management-styles-for-technical-teams/
- American Nurses Association. (2023). What is transformational leadership in nursing? ANA. https://www.nursingworld.org/content-hub/resources/nursing-leadership/transformational-leadership-in-nursing/
- Why Servant Leadership is Crucial in Healthcare Administration. (n.d.). Blog.trevecca.edu. https://blog.trevecca.edu/thehill/why-servant-leadership-is-crucial-in-healthcare-administration
- Healthcare Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic. (2024). Furstgroup.com. https://www.furstgroup.com/resources/leadership-lessons-from-the-covid-19-pandemic-across-healthcare#:~:text=Four%20Traits%20of%20an%20Agile%20Healthcare%20Leader&text=Team%20Empowerment%20%2D%20Agile%20leaders%20empower
- CAHL. (2024, February 12). Strategic Leadership in Healthcare: Addressing Growth, Modernization, and Workforce Challenges. California Association of Healthcare Leaders. https://ache-cahl.org/articles/strategic-leadership-in-healthcare-addressing-growth-modernization-and-workforce-challenges/
- Sfantou, D. (2017). Importance of Leadership Style Towards Quality of Care Measures in Healthcare settings: a Systematic Review. Healthcare, 5(4), 73. NCBI. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5746707/
- Massachusetts Office of the Governor. (n.d.). CHART case study: Deploying effective management and leadership strategies to drive results. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved August 23, 2024, from https://www.mass.gov/doc/chart-case-study-deploying-effective-management-and-leadership-strategies-to-drive/download
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