Sample PUBH6004 Assignment 2

PUBH6004 Leadership and Effecting Change in Public Health Assignment 2 Sample

Assignment Brief

Individual/Group - Individual
Length - 2,000 words

Learning Outcomes

This assessment addresses the following learning outcomes:
1. Critique theories, styles, approaches and strategies of leadership in public health
2. Analyze the influence of diversity on leadership (gender, culture, professional discipline and community)
3. Evaluate personal leadership strengths and areas for improvement through analysis of public health leadership frameworks

Submission - Due Sunday end of Module 3 (Week 6) by 11:55pm
Weighting - 30%
Total Marks - 100 marks

Instructions:

In this assignment, you will be provided a scenario (problem) for assignment help involving a public health leader that you will need to analyze using the knowledge gained from this subject for 3 modules. Subsequently, immersing yourself in the scenario, you will evaluate yourself as a public health leader. (Note: Case study will be provided after Module 2).

You will be writing a 2000?word report in three parts, as follows:

Part 1: Analyze the scenario of the public health leader, presented in the Australian public health
context using the Australian Health Leadership Framework [1000 words]
(Australian Health Leadership Framework: https://www.aims.org.au/documents/item/352)

Part 2: Undertake a self?assessment using the Leadership self?assessment tool [500 words]
http://www.springboard.health.nsw.gov.au/sat/documents/leadershipassessmenttool.pdf
Apply the tool to obtain your results. (The tool is not automatic – you need to apply it honestly)

Part 3: Imagine yourself to be in the situation. Reflect on your leadership style, its strengths, and apply them to this scenario. How would you have responded to the situation based on the self?evaluation in part 2? Where do you see the gaps in your profile? Prepare an action plan. [500 words]
Assessment Criteria:

Your graded assignment will be assessed against the following specific criteria:

• Demonstrated ability to analyze public health leadership scenario in the context, applying the Australian Health Leadership Framework to the scenario presented (40%)
• Demonstrated ability to self?assess leadership style, summaries and critique (10%)
• Demonstrated ability to contextualize, reflect on leadership style, assess gaps and prepare an action plan for improvement (30%)
• General assessment criteria (20%):
o Provides a lucid introduction
o Shows a sophisticated understanding of the key issues
o Shows ability to interpret relevant information and literature in relation to
chosen topic
o Demonstrates a capacity to explain and apply relevant concepts
o Shows evidence of reading beyond the required readings
o Justifies any conclusions reached with well?formed arguments and not merely
assertions
o Provides a conclusion or summary
o Correctly uses academic writing, presentation and grammar:
• Complies with academic standards of legibility, referencing and
bibliographical details (including reference list)
• Writes clearly, with accurate spelling and grammar as well as proper
sentence and paragraph construction
• Uses appropriate APA style for citing and referencing research

Solution

Introduction

The following essay will analyze the scenario of the public health leader using the Australian Health Leadership Framework. Furthermore, a self-assessment will be undertaken and a reflection based on the personal leadership style, its strengths and application to be scenario will be discussed in detail.
Part 1: Analysis of Dr. Tania’s situation

Leadership is comparable in all businesses even if the complexity and purpose of health is acknowledged. Health leaders are trying to enhance clinical, quality of life and the health system's well-being. Research demonstrates that the quality of health leadership influences the quality of patient care directly and indirectly and promotes optimal practice (Schaye, et al., 2020). Leaders impact people, their satisfaction, management confidence, dedication, personal and team effectiveness and organisational culture and environment. Leaders play an essential part in the mobilisation of people for a shared purpose, while others are significant. Health leaders work with others to affect the quality of health and welfare and the quality of treatment for birth, disease and life (Tay, et al., 2021). Capable leadership, governance and management are crucial to success in improving the quality of life and maximizing health-related investment effect. Distributed leadership involves everyone with the ability and will to lead the way to enhance their activities to create a lively and achievable vision of an equal, effective and sustainable human centre health system. Everyone may exhibit leadership in their area of influence in order to enhance health outcomes. The Australian health leadership framework comprises of five dimensions which help in understanding the leadership character of an individual in any given scenario. Hence, for the current scenario of Dr. Tania, this framework has been implemented to understand the qualities that are present in her while managing a health situation in a clinical health setting.

The first dimension suggests leading oneself in a clinical health care setting (Health Workforce Australia, 2013). Leaders are always ongoing. They recognize their skills and their limits and dedicate themselves to reflecting on themselves and improving them. Self-awareness, self-reform, drive, empathy and social competence are seen and demonstrated. In their position and context, they show integrity and perseverance in situations that are hard (Health Workforce Australia, 2013). Dr. Tania was responsible for coordinating the national response to the Nipah virus in the first occurrence of a national health catastrophe. Hence, it can be understood that Dr. Tania is self-aware and has strength of character. It is because of this she is able to understand the background of the pandemic and has ethical integrity, resilience, and courage to face the situation by her.

The second dimension displays the ability of leaders to engage others. Leaders allow others to engage with a vision or objective by use of complicated tales and explanations (Health Workforce Australia, 2013). Leaders encourage others to recognize, learn and grow possibilities. Dr. Tania identifying stakeholders shows its capacity to depict diversity of values and cultural reactivity models (Health Workforce Australia, 2013). It recognizes first Australians and guarantees that all individuals, consumers and employees in all healthcare environments are treated with decency and respect. She also enables consumers, co-workers and others to be strengthened. She motivates and allows people to exchange ideas, to take on chances for growth and leadership and to work with high-performance teams. It is with the help of this dimension that she is able to structure an appropriate action plan to deal with the pandemic in an efficient manner.

The third dimension displays the leader’s ability to achieve outcomes (Health Workforce Australia, 2013). Leaders are those who work to change things. They create an inspirational and motivational direction, they allow energy and effort to achieve and keep an eye on your objective. Health executives are compassionate about the quality of the health care system and the sustainability (Health Workforce Australia, 2013).

The fourth dimension revolves around driving innovation of leaders (Health Workforce Australia, 2013). Health innovation is not only a new product. It incorporates significant changes in business and care paradigms in order to deliver quality services centered on people. Passionate leadership, without which the status quo cannot be challenged, is a crucial component in effective innovation (Health Workforce Australia, 2013). The fifth dimension revolves around shaping systems by leaders. Health is a complex system in development that connects all components, including services, law and finance (Health Workforce Australia, 2013). A change in one element has consequences for the entire. Leaders who know patterns of interdependency are able to explain trends and to enable solutions to maximize benefits and reduce unintentional damage or injury (Health Workforce Australia, 2013).

Part 2: Undertake a self-assessment using the leadership self-assessment tool

I have assessed my own leadership potential with the help of the leadership self-assessment tool provided by the “Health Education & Training Institute”. In order to be a successful healthcare leader, the leader must have some key skills, expertise and traits. This NSW Health leadership framework helped me to assess my leadership potential on these leadership skills (heti.nsw.gov.au, 2021). I have performed the assessment through answering some survey questions and the results of my assessment have discussed below (See appendix). This framework helped me to identify the areas of improvement for strengthening my leadership capability.

Achieving outcomes (Score = 2+3+3+3+2+2+2+3 = 20) – In this domain, I have gained a score of 20, a mixed score in different areas. For instance, I found myself accountable for performance and resources, while being able to use patient outcomes and service agreement for driving performance. However, I can improve focus on what makes a difference in results and for building a common vision for health outcomes.

Developing and leading self (Score = 3+3+3+3+3+2+2+1 = 20) – In this domain, overall I have shown strength in developing and leading self, in most of areas, I have scored the maximum point. I am good at demonstrating self-awareness, actively seeking personal growth and taking responsibility of own performance and service. However, I can improve the area of modelling desired behaviour and values. Besides, I need to improve my patience, while working under pressure (Sutherland, 2014).

Engaging people and building relationships (Score = 3+3+2+3+3+3+3+2 = 22) – I am also good in engaging people and building relationships. Relationship building and communication is one of my strengths. I got the highest score in this domain, which highlights this area as my strength. I am effective in facilitating effective team process and fostering others’ development. Harnessing talent and diversity is also plus point, but I can work more on developing ability to create workplace culture environments, where people can contribute.

Partnering and collaborating across boundaries (Score = 2+2+2+2+3+3+3+3 = 20) – I have significant scope to improve this area, as I got mixed grade, showing a lot of areas with medium points. I scored well in creating cross-sectorial collaboration and encouraging fresh insight from diverse source to foster innovation. However, I need to build ability for working across formal boundaries and inspire people through my own action to collaborate for change (AU, 2020).

Transforming the system (Score = 3 + 2 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 3 + 2 = 15) – I scored poor in this domain, the minimum score among all five domains in the self-assessment framework, .e. 15. This is indicating significant need for improving this area. In demonstrating critical and system thinking I have significant room for improvement, which is crucial for a leader. I also need to improve my political astute and ability for building support for change. My score was also poor for assessing and working through resistance and other obstacles towards change.

Part 3: Reflection on leadership style and Action plan

Reviewing the scenario of Dr. Tania, I revealed that the leader has met all the necessary leadership criteria and the domains highlighted in the leadership framework by NSW. If I was in her situation, I would adopt the “transformational leadership style”. It is because, the situation Dr. Tania faced, showed that there was a significant need for change in the healthcare system for making the workforce and system ready to deal with the crisis situations effectively. Transformational leadership is a highly regarded leadership style supporting change and innovation in organizational and industrial context. The key strength of this leadership style is the integrity and fairness and its ability to inspire others to accept and face challenges. Following this leadership style in the scenario of Dr. Tania would have helped me to inspire the workforce towards bringing change in the healthcare system, transformation of the system, proper resource management, eliminate discrimination and promote diversity and inclusion, which was highly needed in the scenario of change for equalization of medical system (van Diggele et al., 2020). Additionally, it would promote collaboration and community mobilization, required for standardization of process and increased adherence of community people towards the preventive measures. I have identified some gaps in my profile, based on the above discussed self-evaluation, based on the scores I got upon attaining the self-assessment. The following action plan would help me to fill those gaps.
Action plan

Key strengths – Communication, relationship building, team building and management, openness, self-awareness, visionary

Key priorities – Developing patience, modelling desired behaviour and values, ability to create workplace culture environments, where people can contribute, ability for working across formal boundaries, problem-solving skill, analytical skill, working through resistance and other obstacles towards change.

Development needs – I have found a lot of areas for improvement, which could contribute to my future strength and leadership ability, but currently, I need to work on developing my problem solving skill and improving patience level, while working in crisis situation. It is because, a leader has to undergo crisis situations every day and patience is foremost aspect that would help the leader to be calm and handle the situation tactfully and make effective decision. For this, I also need to have excellent problem solving skill.
Goal – My key goal is to become a patient and assertive leader, with excellent problem-solving ability by next year.

S – It specifically emphasizes upon problem solving skill development.

M – It can be measured through formative and summative assessment through leadership role play

A – It is attainable via field-specific action plans listed below.

R – It is relevant for developing leadership skill and ability to handle crisis situations like the scenario of Dr. Tania.

T – It would require 6 to 8 months to be completed.

Benefits of goal – This goal is SMART and would enrich my leadership potential and would help me to work in crisis situations like Dr. Tania.

Risks involved – No such risk is involved.

Potential obstacles – Lack of resources, lack of guidance or support, political or cultural barrier
How to overcome obstacles – I would take guidance from my supervisor to access resources and support required.

Resources – Problem solving tools, training session, supervisor’s guidance, peer support, organizational simulation, internet, computer, pen, paper

Where to access resources – These resources can be accessed online, from library and from the supervisor.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this framework for NSW Health leadership enabled me to evaluate my leadership potential in these leadership qualities. Following a transformative style of leadership in the Dr Tania scenario, I would have helped inspire people to change the health care system, transform the system, manage the right resources, eliminate discrimination, and promote diversity and inclusion, something that was so necessary in the changing scenario for equalization of the health care system.
 

Reference List

AU, H. N. G. (2020). Mentoring for Leadership and Management Development. https://www.heti.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/621707/LMDED-A-Guide-for-Mentees-2020.pdf

Health Workforce Australia. (2013). Health LEADS Australia: The Australian health leadership framework.Aims.org.au. Retrieved 25 June 2021, from https://www.aims.org.au/documents/item/352.

heti.nsw.gov.au. (2021). The Leadership and Management Framework – Self-Assessment Tool. Retrieved 25 June 2021, from https://www.heti.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/622950/LMDED-Framework-Self-Assessment-Tool-2020_PRINT.pdf

Schaye, V. E., Reich, J. A., Bosworth, B. P., Stern, D. T., Volpicelli, F., Shapiro, N. M., ... & Bails, D. B. (2020). Collaborating Across Private, Public, Community, and Federal Hospital Systems: Lessons Learned from the Covid-19 Pandemic Response in NYC. NEJM Catalyst Innovations in Care Delivery, 1(6). https://catalyst.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/CAT.20.0343

Sutherland, D. (2014). Assessments Using the NSW Public Sector Capabilities Framework. https://www.duncansutherland.com.au/images/stories/downloads/PSC_Capabilities.pdf

Tay, K. H., Ooi, C. C., Mahmood, M. I. B., Aw, L. P., Chan, L. P., Ng, D. C. E., & Tan, B. S. (2021). Reconfiguring the radiology leadership team for crisis management during the COVID-19 pandemic in a large tertiary hospital in Singapore. European Radiology, 31(1), 468-474. https://lesa.on.worldcat.org/oclc/8644093669 van Diggele, C., Burgess, A., Roberts, C., & Mellis, C. (2020). Leadership in healthcare education. BMC Medical Education, 20(2), 1-6. https://lesa.on.worldcat.org/oclc/8787670639