Behavioral/Style Perspective to Leadership

Bloland, Peter, Patricia Simone, Brent Burkholder, Laurence Slutsker, and Cock K. M. De. “The Role of Public Health Institutions in Global Health System Strengthening Efforts: the US CDC's Perspective.” PLOS Medicine. 9.4 (2012). 1-5, is the article that discusses the aspects of the bigger concept of a health system in connection to public health, in the United States. The article offer vital contributions made by public health leaderships in strengthening healthcare system. The authors also present epidemiologic data, which is based on policies impacting aspects of the bigger healthcare systems (Bloland, Simone, Burkholder, Slutsker and De 2012, p. 2). The authors argue that it is the role of government to respond to health emergences issues, develop disease prevention guidelines and disease treatment programs.

The success of any healthcare system depends on the effective training program, competence workforce and effective leadership behavior or style employed in the health care sector. Therefore, nurses have nowadays realized the significant need of employing effective behavioral styles vital for achieving the organizational goals in the healthcare settings (Baker, McFall and Shoham, 2011). Effective behavior/style employed in the health system determines the results; thus the article argues that building the skilled and capable workforce are among the effective ways of achieving the demanding needs of the public health organizations (Bloland et.al 2012, p. 4). From a behavioral leadership theory, great leaders are born, but the theory also argues that one can become a great leader through learning. Thus, Bloland emphasizes on the significant of building a skilled and capable workforce through offering effective training programs to healthcare workers in order to improve organizational performance within the healthcare system (Bloland et.al 2012, p.4).

The strength of the behavioral perspective is that it focuses on the action of leaders but not on mental qualities; thus through learning process, one can become a successful leader (Dishion, 2011). This is essential because this style can contribute to increased competence level in the workforce and improved skills necessary for accomplishing the required tasks in the healthcare system. Moreover, the behavioral style focuses on a behavior, which can be manipulated or observed; hence effective in public health organizations. However, the limitation of this perspective is that, it completely relies on the environment, thus ineffective (Strickland, Van, Kogan, Lauver, Blumberg, Bethell and Newacheck, 2011). It also ignores complex thought processes and emotions; thus ineffective leadership style in the public health organizations.

The behavioral perspective selected is related to both trait theory and skills approach in a number of ways. First, behavioral perspective is related to trait and skill approach because both theories argue that great leaders are born with certain characteristics. Secondly, both theories are related because they also argue that great leaders are not born but rather made through learning process.  Lee (2012) offer comprehensive analysis on the way nursing leaders can improve their leadership roles through increased training and research programs, thus meeting the special healthcare needs of children (Bloland et.al (2012, p.4) adds that implementing key public health programs and supporting critical operational/applied research can enable healthcare providers to deliver high quality services. Thus, educating or training the future workforce through strengthening academic institution is effective for improving knowledge and skills vital for delivering high quality services in the public healthcare settings.