Discussion Board
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Key differences between managers and physicians
To effectively offer services to patients, physicians and managers need to work together. Not working together might render both sides’ efforts useless or might damage the quality of services offered to patients. However, the relationship between managers and physicians is perceived to be strained most of the time. The two groups with the same objective often find it hard to find common ground because of their differences.
The differences between managers and physicians are mainly a result of different backgrounds. First, the two groups have a different perspective on the purpose of the medical profession. For physicians, they have trained in medicine and a scientific method. Their training emphasizes valuing both professional autonomy and individuals. Some physicians view themselves as their patients’ voice to air their grievances to the government and managerial intervention. On the other side, managers are selected depending on liberal skills. These skills include; good communication skills, assertiveness, ability to implement changes, experience, and knowledge on the NHS’s functioning. They are less concerned with professional or personal autonomy and have a clear hierarchy (“Doctors and managers: Agreeing objectives could help doctors and managers work well together,” 22).
How might those differences affect leadership?
The differences between managers and physicians may frustrate both groups’ efforts and lead to poor services offered to patients. If an appropriate leadership strategy is not applied, the differences might lead to a collapse of the health system. Suppose any side decides to think like the other. Doctors decide to ensure that the overall system runs smoothly and forget their responsibility to patients. Managers choose to get preoccupied with an individual patient’s needs and forget about the other patient or the overall budget. In that case, the leadership system will collapse.
Which leadership style(s) do you think would be most appropriate for working with physicians, and why?
I think the transformational leadership style would be the most effective while working with physicians. This is because the main quality of a transformational leader is effective communication and collaboration. Therefore, the manager will always ensure that objectives are shared before any debate. If everything is well communicated, and the two groups come into an understanding, they will have a fruitful, rewarding, and exciting work relationship.
References
Doctors and managers: Agreeing objectives could help doctors and managers work well together. (22 March). PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1125551/