Leadership in Health Professions Education TMA 2.

1/1

Module Title: TMA Number: Student number: Your name: Your email address: Date submitted:

Leadership in Health Professions Education 2.1/1 235 RUBBY CECILIA LUQUE MUOZ rubyluque@gmail.com 11-feb-2011

Guidelines

1.

References and sources: If you quote directly from any source including the module material (even with some editing) you must acknowledge this formally, identifying your reference either within the body of your TMA or as an endnote. 2. Your answer should be original and thoughtful. 3. Your answer should reflect knowledge of the relevant study material in an informed way. 4. Your answer should provide evidence of effective communication through writing, by presenting work that is coherently structured and clearly expressed. 5. Please do not write more than 3 pages.

Firstly, we would like you to remember an occasion when you been a leader or manager. This could be in your present position, or a previous job or post, or when you were a student perhaps. And then: Read the following chart which summarises the Management Sciences in Health leadership and management activities. In relation to each, we would like you to say, as honestly as you can, what you did then and what you would do differently in future. Complete the template and submit.

Leadership or Management Activity Leadership Actions Scan: Identify client and stakeholder needs and priorities Recognize trends, opportunities, risks Look for effective practices Identify staff capacities and constraints Know yourself, staff and organisation values, strengths, weaknesses, etc. Focus: Articulate mission and strategy Identify critical challenges Link goals with overall organisational strategy Determine key priorities for action Create common picture of desired results Align/mobilize: Ensure alignment of values, mission, strategy, structure, systems, and daily actions Facilitate teamwork Unite key stakeholders around inspiring vision Link goals with rewards and recognition

How have you used leadership and management practices previously in this endeavour?

Given what you have just learned, what do you plan to do differently in the future?

During my work as a curriculum coordinator, I know my client needs (in this case students), I dont recognize all opportunities, I try to be updated in the educational trends but sometimes I dont recognize some risks except when they become a problem, I identify my staff capacities but I dont take maximum advantage of those values because I assume most of the work, that means that I dont delegate enough because I only trust myself and I feel overwhelmed sometimes. Although I might identify the critical challenges of a particular job, I usually dont take time to plan a strategy, I just start working to solve urgent problems, that way I dont usually determine priorities which may delay results.

Knowing the needs, I will have to recognize the risks in order to plan a strategy to prevent problems. I will have to delegate part of the work on my staff according to their capacities.

The first step is to elaborate a strategy articulated with the mission and then I have to establish priorities for action, to get best results and an orderly work.

I encourage team work, though we determine a goal to accomplish it has been difficult for me to compromise with rewards because it requires investment and I dont have a budget, but sometimes I link goals to recognition of work done.

First of all I have to align mission, strategy and actions, I will try to think as part of the team, as I would like to receive some rewards or recognition when I reach a goal, Ill try to do that with my work team.

Enlist stakeholders to commit resources Inspire: Match deeds with words Demonstrate honesty in interactions Show trust and confidence with staff Acknowledge contributions of others Provide staff with challenges, feedback and support Model creativity, innovation and learning Management Activities Plan: Set short-term goals and performance objectives Develop multi-year and annual plans Allocate adequate resources (money, people, materials) Anticipate and reduce risks Organise: Ensure structure with accountability and delineated authority Ensure systems for human resources, finance, logistics, quality, operations, information, marketing, etc., effectively support plan Strengthen work processes to

I acknowledge the contributions, ideas, and work of other people or staff, but those opportunities are scarce. Sometimes when I delegated some tasks in my staff, They havent completed them, so I have to assume those tasks, and makes me distrust their work. I recognize that maybe I havent provided them with feedback.

I have to demonstrate confidence in my staffs work, give them support and feedback, as well as acknowledge their contributions and creativity.

I usually work on a short term task performance, I may have a month plan which may help me obtain some resources but I dont have a chance to anticipate or reduce risks.

Elaborate a long term work plan, including resources, and anticipating risks.

As a coordinator of academic activities, I have to ensure human resources, logistics, and information. Sometimes I fail to accomplish my job because I have some problems getting the information to the persons involved due to information from other areas that are important for my work received behind schedule

I have to review the process to ensure all resources including the information provided by other areas is given on time.

implement plan Align staff capacities with plan Implement: Integrate systems; coordinate work flow Balance competing demands Routinely use data for decision making Coordinate activities with other programs and sectors Adjust plans and resources as situation changes Monitor/evaluate: Monitor and reflect on progress against plans Provide feedback Identify needed changes Improve work processes, procedures and tools

I coordinate academic activities : planning, sending information to other areas, making schedule and adjust resources as situation changes, but I confess that when plans and timetables have to be changed I feel somewhat guilty because I think I should have prevented it from happening.

I think I have to relay some activities on my staff, that way I may have more time to use data to plan and evaluate work done.

I usually schedule some meetings by the end of the academic period to evaluate work done, identify those changes that are needed to improve teaching and learning in our students, sometimes we modify procedures or evaluation tools.

I think that I have to do some monitoring on progress against plans to see what items have to be modified or changed during the six month period so I dont have to wait until the end of the semester.

After I have done the template I have reached some conclusions: 1. I think that I work under the old view of leadership, thinking just a few people are responsible for the solutions of problems, thinking that I have to focus on choosing the right way to do things, thinking that I am the only one to find resources, and feeling guilty when some mistake happens. 2. I know I have to improve my capacity to work as a team, involving my staff in planning, doing feedback on the tasks they are given, and taking responsibility in the success or failure of the final result. 3. Now I Know that you need a balance between leadership and management, that leadership has to do with planning, designing strategies, guiding a team, but management has to do with work, using all resources possible to achive the goal, supervising or monitoring the process, and finally having success as a team.

REFERENCES 1. Morahan P, Reveley S. Leadership in health professions education: Educational management and leadership. FAIMER. 2. Qwyer, Paskovitz. An urgent call to professionalize leadership and management in health care worldwide. www.msh.org. 3. Actions to develop managers who lead. http://www.msh.org/Documents/upload/Actions_Leadership-1.pdf.