Strategic Human Resource Planning. Walmart

Walmart is the world’s largest retailer. It is second to china’s military in terms of employment opportunities. The organization faces a high staff turnover rate. With the rate standing at around 50%, it shows gaps in the employee retaining strategy (Berg Roberts, 2011).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic Human Resource Planning. Walmart specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Otherwise, it points out to a weak human resource department that fails to articulate needs of its employees. It could also point out to lack of job satisfaction among the employees. Similarly, it could mean that Walmart is unable to stay at par with other organizations in terms of remuneration causing mass exit of employees. Other organizations could also be offering incentives to their workforce thus encouraging employees to stay. With its market presence, the rate of staff turnover can easily ruin the image of the organiza tion. This is especially so gauging on the profit margin that Walmart realizes. It is important, therefore, for Walmart to invest more in the development of its workforce so as to avoid losses as a result of employee exit. It is agreeable that exit of employees has far reaching consequences to any retailer and this does not exclude Walmart. When employees leave, they go with hard earned knowledge to add value to other organizations. Their destiny organizations benefit from the value created by the previous employer. If the business is of the same nature, then it cuts the new employer the cost of training and avoids the low productivity period of induction. This is a direct loss of investment in terms of the training expenditure and time used in developing the employees. There is also a danger of the employees transferring trade secrets that form asymmetries for any organization. The leadership, therefore, has a role to play in mitigating strategies that ensure employees stay in the organization so as to reap the benefits of training vested (Ploetner, 2011). Recommendations The first recommendation involves restructuring of the employee recruitment process. The key to maintaining a stable workforce lies in the ability to formulate attainable objectives prior to recruitment. The department concerned should outline what their expectations are, the key competences desired, and the characteristics of choice. This limits the scope of exploration since the employer already has a checklist to vet the hopefuls. With such a strategy in place, the employer will obtain employees who are best suited for the positions on offer. On the other hand, the employees feel comfortable with their placement and are happy to execute their primary role. It would also be wise not to place the employees in to permanent contracts immediately. This gives room for the employer to continuously vet the recruits for suitability.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's s ee if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Recruits who maintain a high standard of integrity and consistency would form good employees. The level of productivity can also be tested during this stage at minimum risk. The period can also be used to assess how well the recruits blend in with the rest of the employees as well as how they adapt to the organization’s culture. Age should also be taken into consideration during the recruitment process. Older people are more likely to hold on to job positions since they are less ambitious compared to college leaving applicants. After recruitment, new employees should be well inducted to their positions to make sure they understand their job descriptions well. Poor perception of expectations is a main cause of dissatisfaction to employees in an organization usually resulting to attrition (Gatewood et al, 2011). Indirectly, Walmart can discourage attrition through involvement in corporate social respon sibility (CSR) activities. Supporting students in college and high schools through bursaries and sponsorship is one way of instilling a sense of confidence in the organization. When students are supported through school, they tend to develop a liking for such an organization and are more likely to work with dedication. It helps instill loyalty of employees as an obligation or gesture of good faith towards support through school. CSR offers an organization a chance to establish its brand confidence. It helps create a positive attitude for the organization. Though the implications are not direct, giving back to the society encourages workers associated with the brand and increases their loyalty. Issues of environmental protection, sporting activities and cleanliness campaigns would form good points of interaction with the society. The current breed of employees likes having fun while at work. When the activities are incorporated in the monthly schedule, they provide room for interacti on between employees. To some extent, the activities provide additional room for bonding outside of the work environment. This reduces the level of boredom among employees. Bonding creates positive energy and friendship which employees would miss out on if they left. Participating in sporting activities allows employees to loosen up from the tensions of work. Actively participating in charitable events would exhibit the organizations ability to take care of their own. This brings about positive anticipation while encouraging employee residence in the organization. Changing the attitude attributed to an organization can mean a difference in how employees view their employer and, therefore, instill confidence (Gatewood et al, 2011).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic Human Resource Planning. Walmart specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Remuneration forms the other area that requires to be addressed. Other than correct placement and good working environment, employees require their financial needs to be adequately met. The recruiting department should set good compensation packages for their employees if loyalty is to be achieved. This can be done through thorough research on how other players in the sector compensate their employees. When employees leave, the target field is usually similar to the former. If the compensation differs within negligible margins, it would be hard for employees to exit if their main reason for departure is compensation. Other benefit packages such as bonuses and flexible working hours encourage employee loyalty. Recognizing and rewarding outstanding employees act as a motivator to others. It also encourages the person rewarded to keep up good work. A clearly outlined reward system such as employee of the month would increase positive competition in the workforce. The anticipation of getting rewarded in the subsequent chance can act as a source of motivation an d lead to production of exemplary results. Extra benefits with financial value encourage more saving. Allowing employees to save in a union would go a step further in enhancing the level of interaction between employees with a common goal. Remuneration packages should be reviewed overtime in a stipulated schedule. When employees are informed on when to expect raises in their wages, they are more likely to stay. Poor wages in an organization such as Walmart would encourage employees to train then depart to other competitors offering better payment packages. This is detrimental since the cost of training new staff exceeds the salary denied to exiting employee (Cascio et al, 2011). Expected Challenges Any firm making major decisions involving restructuring must face unprecedented challenges. However, these challenges only last a while. In order to come up with a working strategy, Walmart may have to reshuffle or redeploy some of the top management, especially those involved directly in recruitment of new employees. If the same people are involved in coming up with new strategies, they resist change and derail the process. Some may not come to terms with being deployed to unfamiliar positions. At the same time, formulating a new team to conduct the recruitment process overhaul requires time for development. The new team has to be trained intensively to change their mindset and become objective oriented. Training has financial implications to any organization. Some officials resist retraining and dismiss it as boring. This leads to the inability to cope with change. As some may argue, the time and financial resources used in effecting the change could find application in formulation of new strategies that advance business. Restructuring also means laying aside people previously thought to add value to the organization when they become an impediment to forward movement. Issues of dealing with retrenchment develop as a by-product of the new strategies.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Coping with change, therefore, becomes a main hurdle when restructuring. At the same time, targeting the older population for employment positions may not sit well with everyone. The young population, though ambitious, is dynamic and flexible and is bound to deliver more units per time. College leavers would take lower wages since they know they are just starting their careers. The older population, on the other hand, seeks to settle and demands job permanency (Gatewood et al, 2011). There is a downside to freedom of forming associations among employees. So far, Walmart has been able to avoid the headaches and legal suits that emerge when employees get into unions. In fighting for rights, employees abuse the privilege and use the associations as leverage to pressurize their employers into meeting unnecessary demands. Walmart would face such challenges if it allows employees to form unions within the organization. Since they have backings in legally registered unions, employees would boycott wok without fear of any repercussions. Employees would take advantage of the conditions to skip work for days and still earn. Productivity levels would reduce leading to shrinkage of profits for the organization. This would in turn slow down growth. Harmonizing the rates given to employees with those of competitors would mean that Walmart spends more in wages and salaries. The main objective of the organization is to reduce the production and other overhead costs in order to maximize profit. This determines the choice of a low wage labor strategy. Paying higher would reduce the overall profitability. Walmart employees provide the organization with a customer base for its products. With the wages they earn, employees can barely afford costs of goods from other stores. Paying higher would cause the employees to seek the products elsewhere. This would mean loss of customers to the outlets. Incentives such as performance rewards can trigger unfair competition between employees. Some employees would do anything to emerge at the top so as to carry the reward. This may create a hostile environment within the organization with employees holding feelings of bitterness. The process may also be a source of bias due to a wide range of parameters that have to be engaged in deciding who deserves the reward. Those found favorable to their supervisors and managers would, definitely, take home the prize (Cascio et al, 2011). Overcoming challenges There are different approaches that Walmart can employ to cope with the challenges. The research and development department should diversify in fields of technology. The aim is introduction of new and easy to use systems that facilitate flow of work without much labor input. This way, employees go about their business with ease and earn wages which correspond to the nature of work they perform. The department would also be mandated in ensuring that the current rates relate to those of competitors. At the same time, the depart ment can come up with interesting ways of functioning which reduce boredom at work and encourage participation. Similarly, Walmart can avert challenges in restructuring by indulging the services of change management consultants. The independent bodies provide an unbiased opinion concerning lay-offs and hiring. The consultants also possess wide scope of knowledge in dealing with problems that emerge during change. Such consultants would take away the headache involved in weighing options that may cause decision making process to procrastinate. The consultants also possess tools that introduce change gradually thus averting anxiety and change shock. Such consultants can make a complex situation appear simple and easy to handle. At the same time, the organization can outsource the function of recruiting to specialized firms. Recruitment process is usually time consuming and tiresome. Countless number of interviews may be held and still guarantee poor results. There are organizations th at specialize in vetting of employees for various positions. Since that is their only function, the recruiting agencies are better placed to develop the recruitment objectives and establish the knowledge skills and abilities that the organization requires in employees. Some even go to the extent of training the employees on their key performance indicators as well as orient them on their job descriptions. In addition, the recruiting agencies run the cycle repeatedly to retain a constant flow of probable employees who can take up positions upon demand. They also retain resumes in a database for ease of retrieval. Using such a strategy takes care of time wasted when interviewing employees at the organization level (Berg Roberts, 2011). There is a wide range of solutions that Walmart can use in rectifying the issue of employee attrition. However, more usually than not, the solutions act contrary to the profit objective of the organization in the short run. Modern solutions cannot take root without restructuring the already existing structures. Improvement strategies always oppose the inherent culture of any organization. Acceptance of change requires investment in education and training in order to avert anxiety and resistance. Change requires renewal of leadership’s mentality or an entirely new leadership that is open minded. Walmart must also invest financially with a focus on the long-term benefits of retaining a stable workforce. The cost of training new employees is high and affects work flow. Currently, the organization is actively seeking expansion in the international market. Developing a stable workforce can facilitate the process of growth since it would only require redeployment of employees to other areas. If Walmart is to remain profitable, the organization must strike the balance between excessive profits and development of its human resource. This is the only way to cope with challenges posed by competitors who are trying to catch up with t he cost benefit approach that the organization uses. Luckily, there are firms specialized in dealing with such challenges no matter the complexity. References Cascio, F.W., Boudreau, J.W., Davis, A., Shannon, J., Russo, D. (2011). HR Strategies for Employee Engagement. New Jersey: FT Press. Gatewood, R.D., Feild, H. S., Barrick, M. R. (2011).  Human resource selection. Mason, OH: South-Western, Cengage Learning. Ploetner, O. (2011). Counter Strategies in Global Markets. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Roberts, B.R., Berg, N. (2012).  Walmart: Key insights and practical lessons from the world’s largest retailer. London: Kogan Page. This essay on Strategic Human Resource Planning. Walmart was written and submitted by user Audrianna Johnston to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

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Application Of Leadership Knowledge To Health Visitors Practice Nursing Essay

Application Of Leadership Knowledge To Health Visitors Practice Nursing Essay 1.1This report will provide evidence of the application of leadership knowledge to the role of the Health visitors practice. The report will look at my leadership style and skills in relation to developing and implementing an evening well baby clinic. When implementing this clinic I will aim to address and discuss past leadership experience and how I will use this within my team to achieve the best outcomes for families within my practice area. Attention will be made on relating this to improving the quality of care as highlighted in the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Standards of proficiency for specialist community public health nurses, 2004. The standards also state that I, as a Specialist Community Public Health Nurses (SCPHN) must work in partnership with all team members and clients. I will apply my existing and newly developed leadership skills when managing my evening well baby clinic (NMC, 2004 and DOH, 2009). This report will include a discussion on my best practice and the use of evaluation and reflection in learning from experiences. The report will also include issues related to the quality of care and how my leadership can maintain or improve it. The aims and objectives of this report are to provide a clear expression of the quality issues in clinical care. To analyse my understanding of the process of change and my leadership styles can influence the quality of care. I will then look at change theories, management and leadership styles within my practice area and consider what the strengths and weaknesses are. Consideration will also be given to conflict management and my style of leadership within the team in order to promote effective working. 2 Critical analysis and review of own individual knowledge and competence of leadership practice within health visiting practice. 2.1Whilst undertaking the SCPHN course I have had many opportunities and experiences to developed my leadership, and reflect on the kind of leader I aspire to be. There are two types of leaders, transformational and transactional. I feel that I am currently a transformational leader as I try to motivate staff members, encourage vision and ideas and inspire team members and clients to achieve the best possible outcomes. As identified by Huber (2010) Vision is a key aspect of any leadership activity. I feel that my evening well baby clinic has shown my vision through the ideas and implementation of activities within the group. I shared my vision with fellow team members, this promoted motivation and inspiration. Transactional leadership is a more direct approach setting out clear goals and offering rewards to staff members in order to meet objectives (Hartley and Benington, 2010). I adapted aspects of this approach but felt that a transformational approach was more appropriate for my t eam and my practice. Whilst the transformational model of leadership may be seen as dynamic and therefore appeal to change agents, in this scenario the proposed change is largely transactional. The evening clinic will not provide staff with new skills or knowledge and it is unlikely to be seen as a particularly innovative as it is simply expanding an already existing service within the practice area. However, it is important to recognise the need for transactional change, in this instance practical concerns of an evening well baby clinic are being addressed. The evening clinic will not only benefit service users, it will improve service delivery and help achieve both local and national requirements. 2.2 I feel that in order to look at management and leadership theories, it is important to understand the differences between them. Warren (2005) differentiated between management and leadership by stating that the main difference is vision. Leadership is concerned with vision, communication and values whereas management is primarily concerned with analysis, planning and problem solving. Kotter (1990) also suggests that both leadership and management are needed within complex organizations in order for them to run smoothly. This is supported by Marquis and Huston (2006) who state that the roles of the manager and the leader can and should be integrated and that it is essential for both approaches to be present within nursing. I believe that it is vital for leaders to have the ability to be both managers and leaders at the same time in order for quality of care to take place. It is important to remember that management and leadership are very different but have overlapping functions ( Ellis and Hartley, 2005, Gopee and Galloway 2009). To have aspects of leadership and management skills are an essential part of the SCPHN role. Gopee and Galloway (2009) support Huber (2010) about the key importance of a visionary approach to leadership. It is important to reflect on the differences between leadership and management, to have the ability to utilise management in order to enhance my leadership and promote flexible, positive and appropriate team development. Christian and Norman (1998) build on this by arguing that management and leadership are so different that they sometimes can be conflicting. 2.3In my leadership experience I believe that having an effective working relationship with you team can influence the outcomes of a project this is identified by Hartley and Benington (2010), as being a key leadership quality. Kotter (1990) states that leadership is about setting directions, motivating people, inspiring people, having the ability to adopt a visionary position, setting a direction, and anticipating as well as coping with change. I have adapted this approach by undertaking regular team meetings where ideas and goals were set. Then time was given for the team to feedback there own personal vision which promoted self esteem and ownership of the project to enhance team motivation towards a common goal. Team members through this feedback time were able to identify there own strengths and interests to bring to the project, any areas of weakness that were identified were discussed and any relevant training was given. Cooperation and collaboration from other agencies was res ourced to provide the best quality service for staff and service users alike. This enabled learning from each other where any potential conflict would be avoided due to staff working within there capability within there role and recognising that each member of staff is accountable for there own practice. This links with Malcolm et al (2003) who argues that leaders within the clinical area should stay focused on quality of care and professional issues and not cross over to the other side, which is management. 2.4 I believe, as dose Mulally (2001) that leadership for nurses is essential for the success of the Department of Healths NHS plan (2000). Over the past decade accessibility has been a consistent factor in governmental policy. The white paper; The New NHS: Modern Dependable (DH, 1997) advocated improvements to the quality, range and accessibility of services available within the community. Shortly after the Acheson Report (Acheson, 1998) highlighted that within primary care it is important that services are not only effective but readily accessible. Acheson concluded that the NHS should be aiming to provide equitable access to effective health care for all. The project that I have implemented is aimed to improve the quality of existing services. Research into inequalities in health and anecdotal evidence from parents who have or are due to return to work has highlighted a current deficit in service provision. Service users have indicated general dissatisfaction at there being no cli nic available at a time accessible to working parents. When discussing inequalities it is easy to focus on disadvantaged families living in deprived areas, however, it is important to acknowledge that working parents experiencing difficulties accessing services only available during the working day are also experiencing inequality. Therefore as a leader I have identified a gap in service provision and an opportunity to reduce inequalities in health by providing this service. The NHS Plan continued the trend of encouraging a greater range of services and recommended that primary care providers offer services from shared modern premises (DH, 2000). Recently, Our health, Our care, Our say (DH, 2006) was published which aims to improve services in the community, it promised more co-ordination between services and greater consistency across the health service in order to reduce inequalities. It also advocated more flexible services to increase accessibility and recommended involving serv ice users and the local population in decision making. 3. Critically analyse leadership styles and apply them to the complexity of the delivery of care. 3.1 In the last year as a SCPHN I have been able to observe many different leadership styles, on reflection I believe that I have chosen aspects of these styles to develop my own style. One theorist suggests that leadership in a clinical setting influences followers to bring about improvements in care (Welford, 2002). Through research I have found that there are many different leadership styles, Hersey et al (2008) identified these styles as authoritarian, laissez-faire and democratic. Within my career I have encountered many of the leadership styles, this has enabled me to choose aspects of these styles within my own practice. I found the laissez-faire approach of no interference and lack of decision making and a lack of structure to be confusing and unclear. The advantages of this approach with groups are that they are fully independent and promote professionals working together (Huber, 2010). The authoritarian approach from previous leaders has been very directive and not team foc used. I found this approach did not encourage togetherness and therefore I would not want to promote this within my team. In conflict situations I can see how it would be an efficient approach. I aim to be a democratic leader who works with there team, sharing responsibility and decision making although this may be a long drawn out process I believe it will facilitate an improved project. Huber(2010) stated that the challenges of a democratic style are getting people with different professional backgrounds to work together and decide on a plan of action. To overcome this I ensured that the team shared common goals. I created motivation within the team to examine working practices. This was confirmed to me as many of the staff showed their interest by their offering of ideas to meet this challenge. By tapping into the moral dimension of a proposed change i.e. promoting the need to contribute in order to protect the safety and health inequalities for those children and families who wo uld not otherwise be in a position to attend a well baby clinic during the day. It was also recognised that there may be resistance to working unsocial hours. As two health visitors will be required for each clinic and there are currently in excess of 20 health visitors employed by the trust they may only be expected to cover one clinic every 10 months. Some staff may even volunteer to work more often providing relief for those staff who arent keen to cover the clinic while providing a benefit to themselves if they can start work later in the day, therefore demonstrating that the democratic leadership style further inspired staff to change by motivating followers to transcend their own self-interest for the sake of the team and organization (Bass 1985). 3.2 Situational leadership was developed by Hersey and Blanchard (1977) and assumes the leader adapts their style according to a given situation. Encouraging team input and facilitating problem solving are key features of the supportive behaviours exhibited by the situational leader (Northouse 2004). This style has two main types of intervention: those which are supportive and those which are directive. The effective situational leader is one that adjusts the directive and supportive dimensions of their leadership according to the needs of their subordinates (Northouse 2004).As most team members were highly motivated in the project, freely offering suggestions and ideas, a directive role was not needed. The supportive behaviours I employed encouraged a participative approach characterised by the use of finely tuned interpersonal skills such as active listening, giving feedback and praising (Marquis and Huston 2000) which can be likened to a Skinnerian approach of positive reinforceme nt. 3.3 I can identify my correct use of the democratic leadership style by working with and alongside team members encouraging participation. This is achieved by assessing workers competence and commitment to completing the task. The member of staff that appeared to take little interest and was not able to offer ideas displayed a lower developmental level compared to other team members and hence I directed her more using the coaching behaviours advocated by Hersey and Blanchard (1977). This coaching promoted inclusion and participation by: giving encouragement, soliciting input and questioning the participant on what they thought of the proposal and the changes they would like to see. This was done to increase levels of commitment and motivation (Northouse 2004) and thus integrate that team member into the change process. On reflection this can also be identified as an example of reducing the resisting factors to the change within the force field as by adapting to the needs of that team member, she was encouraged to take part and share ideas rather than hinder progress and potentially thwart the change. I aim to develop my leadership style further by gaining feedback from my team members and by reflecting on what have been positive and negative experiences, whilst maintaining a link with best evidence based practice. 3.4 When implementing my evening well baby clinic and introducing my new leadership style, it was important to remember that change would be needed. When proposing change it must be recognised that if a structured process is not used the process could easily fail (Keyser and Wright,1998). It is important therefore, to acknowledge the complexity of the process. Lewin (1951) identified three stages in the process of change, these were unfreeze, move and refreeze. Within this scenario, theunfreeze process would include communication and planning with both staff and PCT management in order to gain their backing and support for the evening clinic. The move process would involve trying the evening clinic for a period of six months, and observing its effectiveness during this time. If the evaluation of the service proved it to be successful it would ultimately result in the clinic becoming established concluding the refreeze process. Through implementing the clinic I gained peoples thoughts and opinions and what they felt was needed, in Kassean Jagoos study (2005), they identified the unfreezing stage as that of facilitating peoples thoughts on the current situation. Sheldon and Parkers (1997) research found that people can only be empowered by a vision that they understand and that it is paramount that strategies are used to foster inclusion and participation so that all team members are fully aware of the impetus for change. 3.5 When improving care, two potential obstacles have been highlighted by Tait (2004), these were limited resources and the pace of change. With these in mind, a force field analysis (Lewin, 1951) has been completed to try and identify potential barriers. The issues I have identified are that it must be established early in the process the arrangements for the remuneration of staff time. Possible options are overtime payments or time owing. Staff will display individual preferences depending on their individual perception of the benefit of each option. As the decision on how time will be paid will lie with the PCT management team it is important to establish their response early as this issue is likely to be raised by the health visitors very early in the change process. Another issue identified was Health and Safety. As the building is already used for a family planning Clinic, any health and safety issues are already likely to have been addressed. I however considered it to be good practice to revisit and review the risk assessment. I identified a training issue around securing the health centre at the end of the evening, these locking up and safety procedures could be addressed with a short in house training session. After identifying the above issues it was my responsibility as a leader to consider resources and budgets available in order to achieve all my aims and objectives. 4. Identify and evaluate areas of leadership that enhance and benefit the quality of client care. 4.1 The Government has clearly outlined the need for nurses to develop leadership skills at all levels within the workforce in order to deliver the NHS modernisation programme (DH 1998; DH 1999). The leadership role expected of community practitioners is evident in Shifting the Balance of Power (DH 2001a) and Liberating the Talents (DH 2002) with the expectation that health visitors will lead teams which will deliver family-centred public health within the communities they work (DH 2001b). I strongly believe that by collaborating with other agencies when setting up my evening well baby clinic I have improved the quality of care for clients within my practice area. 4.1When implementing my project I took into consideration the felt and expressed needs (Bradshaw, 1972) of service users, and in line with both local Primary Care Trust (PCT) and government policy (Sec 2.3) regarding accessibility to services, it is proposed that an evening clinic be introduced for a trial period of six months. I made this decision as a leader of my team to ensure quality care and provision was implemented. To enable ongoing quality and evaluation change will be audited and evaluated in order to inform future practice and service delivery. In health visiting I believe that the emphasis should be placed on quality of care, providing and promoting access to health information and helping people make sense of the information so that they are able to make informed lifestyle decisions (DH, 2000). 4.2 A study investigating parents preferred sources of child health information found that when parents required advice on their childs general health care needs, the child health clinic was the second most popular source of information and advice (Keatinge, 2005). Child health nurses were identified as a good source of information, parents felt comfortable talking to the nurse and advice was seen to be reliable. Attendance at the child health clinic was viewed as an opportunity to obtain regular information and advice (Keatinge, 2005). A study of parental satisfaction with the health visiting service found that approximately two thirds of health visitor contacts took place in the clinic and routine weighing and general advice accounted for a high percentage of recent contacts in one year old infants. Again the health visitor was viewed as an important source of advice (Bowns, Crofts, Williams, Rigby, Hall and Haining, 2000). The National Service Framework (NSF) for Children, Young P eople and Maternity services (DH, 2004), contains several standards. Standards 1-3 are particularly relevant when considering a well baby Clinic, they focus on promoting health and identifying needs, supporting parents and having services centred around the family. Each of these standards can be addressed in a well baby clinic. The NSF is intended to lead a cultural shift which will result in services designed around the needs of the family, not the needs of the organisation, thus resulting in quality of care for all (DH, 2004). 4.3As a leader it is essential to have an awareness of clinical governance to ensure health care organisations can develop cultures and ways of thinking in order to improve quality of care (Tait, 2004). I have considered the culture of the organisation within which the proposed change will take place as I felt it was important. In my experience of the health visiting service, individual health visitors cover individual caseloads and generally work independently. This is not to say that a team culture does not exist but communication is essential, and as a leader I can facilitate this as part of my role. In addition to this regular health visitor meetings and annual away days encourage communication and help foster the wider team spirit. Clinical governance attempts to provide joined up policy development (Tait, 2004) so it is important to note that the issues highlighted are high on both local and national agendas. As a result of this it is hoped that the proposal, attempting to impr ove service provision with minimal resource implications is likely to be given serious consideration by service providers. Initial consultation with the management team was sought to identify if there is managerial support for the proposed evening clinic. Once this was achieved the process of consultation with health visitors and administrative staff began. It is hoped that by encouraging shared governance and shared leadership the proposal will be both practitioner owned and organisationally supported (Scott and Caress, 2005). 5.Demonstrate a dynamic and flexible approach to leadership issues. 5.1Within the project there is a mixture of cultures that have proved beneficial when planning the expansion of the well baby clinic. Managerial support was established early in the process, so that the change would be less opposed. However in addition to this staff were encouraged to contribute their ideas and concerns the change process may progress more smoothly. The implementation of this strategy reduced the risks of potential conflict. Barr and Dowding (2010) state that by being a dynamic and flexible leader who is able to resolve conflict effectively, high quality patient care can be achieved. Change can sometimes be viewed as a negative thing. A percentage of the team who will be affected by this change are established health visitors. There can at times be apathy to change and a tendency to continue with a certain practice because it has always been done that way or because something has been tried and failed before. 5.2 If conflict was to arise within my team I would use a conflict resolution strategy as identified by Barton (1991). This approach can be adapted by leaders to help improve team moral and productivity (Huber 2010). I believe the important factors for the leader to implement are effective communication, assertiveness and empathy. If this technique is delivered effectively I believe can be resolved quickly and with minimal upset. If conflict arises and a leader avoids confronting an issue or withdraws from the situation this can be beneficial as it allows for a cooling off period between team members but I believe that this is not a solution as it will not resolve the conflict. Marquis and Huston (2006) support Hubers research by saying that a leader should address conflict but also needs to recognise and accept an individuals differences and opinions. Therefore a flexible leadership style should be adopted whenever possible. 6 Conclusion and Summery. 6.1 In conclusion I feel that a model which places great importance on the needs, values and morals of others is transformational leadership (Northouse 2004; RCN 2005) and elements of this could be identified in my leadership. The goal of transformational leadership is to create a vision change what is into something better. Although transformational leadership did not originate within the nursing profession, its usefulness is in its application towards implementing the proposed change in practice. Transformational leaders are accustomed to sharing power, using influence and developing potential and are seen as the only leader likely to implement lasting change (Marriner-Tomey 2004). 6.2 Before completing the process I was inclined to believe that a large proportion of change was dictated to staff by managers and that as an individual member of a large work population I had a relatively little influence over work practices and few opportunities to lead other staff. The positive outcome of compiling this report has been gaining insight into the process of change and that different types of change and leadership are equally important. I have also benefited from actually completing the process and analysing the potential problems that may occur when trying to introduce a change in practice. I feel that the knowledge gained has influenced and inspired me to strive to become a motivational and beurocratic leader. 6.3 The negative points have been seeing how much work is required to bring about a relatively small change in practice. This process has taught me that in my career I will be unable to change everything I want to. It has also been difficult gathering the evidence base which has been frustrating as this appears to be a fundamental indicator in ensuring a proposal within practice is taken seriously. In the future I hope my new confidence in my ability to lead and empower will make me a valuable contributor to the health visiting service. I will carefully study those working practices I would like to change, ensure there is a good evidence base for any proposals and follow a structured process in order to maximise the potential success of future ventures. 6.4 Evidence based practice- leadership-SCPHN. AND CONTINUING REFLECTION OF SELF AND SERVICES.adapability and flexability.values

Teacher’s Paychecks Should Reflect their Importance Essay -- Argumenta

Teacher’s Paychecks Should Reflect their Importance The public education system in the United States is a very important institution for our nation's youth. In most states, children are required by law to attend public school, unless they are home-schooled, until the age of sixteen. At the age of sixteen, students are entitled, though certainly not encouraged, to leave the public school system if they wish. Public school teachers are asked to account for and educate all of these students, and teachers are professionals who are constantly in demand. In fact, the demand is so great that in several cities semi-qualified professionals who lack the proper credentials are being asked to teach. One possible explanation for this phenomenon is the poor salaries which teachers are being paid. Both national and state governments ought to consider a pay increase for public school teachers in order to ensure the best education possible for the youth of the United States. Physicians and attorneys both work in careers that financially reward professionals for their many years of study at colleges and universities. Anyone who has been involved in any sort of litigation can attest to the outrageous fees charged by attorneys, and hospitals are also institutions that charge handsomely for their services. It is true that physicians and attorneys are asked to spend many years studying in school, but teachers are paid very poorly in comparison to these professions. Subsequently, teachers are also asked to study for four and often at least five years at colleges and universities. Public school teachers are also asked to take exams in order to certify them in their professions. These exams are similar to bar exams and medical boards. What is eve... ...in level of education. Furthermore, there are several professions that require less education than teaching but supply a more generous salary and benefits package. At the same time, teachers are often asked to pay for re-certification costs out of their own shallow pockets because their employment packages do not offer the funds for this constant training. Teachers have four months without students, and this time is often viewed as "vacation time" by the general public; however, public school teachers have stringent schedules that often require them to surrender their summers. Public school teachers are important professionals in our communities, and it is time for their paychecks to reflect their importance. Politicians on both the state and national levels ought to consider designing more appropriate salary and benefit packages for their public school teachers.