Bureaucratic Leadership in Healthcare Settings
Bureaucratic leadership
The bureaucratic approach to leadership is built on a clear chain of command, strict regulations, and confirmation by its followers. The term bureaucratic leadership was first used in 1920 by Sociologist Max Weber in his book. The Theory of Social and Economic Organization. This leadership model outlines the specific job title, the role and responsibilities associated with it, and an agreed structure for dealing with urgent needs. Organizations using this leadership style operate like a machine since individual workers know their roles and the reporting authority.
This leadership style is effective for people who have specialized in one role and have specific duties to perform. In bureaucratic leadership, there are clear decision-making hierarchies. So that staff knows whom to report to and the way decisions are made. Also, in this leadership model, relationships are maximized as one person’s job may depend on another’s service. Some degree of bureaucracy is needed in healthcare because a slight deviation in the defined way of handling procedures can result in serious problems for oversight agencies, regulators, or the government.
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Laissez-faire leadership
Laissez-faire or delegating leadership approach is one that leaders step back and allow group members to make decisions. ,Leaders using this style provide their subjects with all the tools they need to work and then step back and allow them to do everything else. Among all other leadership styles, laissez-faire is considered one that leads to the lowest productivity. This is because it empowers staff to complete tasks using their skills, experiences, and resources at their disposal in any way they would want, so long as they do not interfere with an organization’s operations.
Organizational leaders using this leadership style must exercise confidence in the abilities of their employees. The role of leaders is only providing guidance and acting when needed, and the juniors do the rest. To successfully use laissez-faire, a manager should have effective delegating skills, which would help them assign tasks to the most qualified staff . Also, this leadership style may not be as effective in organizations without adequate resources. This is because all the tools must be availed to workers before starting the job. APA