Monday, 18 November 2019: 1:55 PM
Many of the challenges associated with achieving global health quality require attention to competing values and the integration of leadership skills that maximize and align people, practices, and plans in service of a desired and well defined purpose. The purpose of this third symposium paper is to bring together the two previous papers to be able to describe the challenges associated with managing paradox and polarities associated with effective leadership development in health care. The nature of paradox and polarities is explored and compared for the impact on leadership development. The complementary nature of competing values is defined and related to the concepts on paradox and polarity. Contemporary leaders must negotiate the tensions between innovation and control as well as competition and collaboration to be able to influence organizational culture, and thus impact outcomes. Knowing the nature of one’s predominate organizational culture (innovation, competition, control or collaboration) influences strategic leadership and management decisions that drive healthcare quality outcomes. Discussion will center on essential types of paradoxes inherent in group life and leadership challenges. Specifically, attention to issues of belonging (identity, involvement, individuality and boundaries) will be contrasted with issues of engagement (trust, disclosure, intimacy and regression). Paradoxes associated with leadership influence will be analyzed (authority, dependency, creativity and courage) and related to the issues of belonging and engagement. in closing, the development of action logics that support the strategic use of a paradoxical leadership lens is described and applied using the case study previously discussed. Models to support polarity management and effective paradoxical leadership strategies are referenced to pull together the total concepts. As leaders deal with volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) challenges, understanding issues of paradox and polarities is essential. Paradoxical leadership skill development is necessary to advance global healthcare quality. Reflective practices as described in earlier sessions are key foundations for navigating the terrain of these leadership development strategies. Through these leadership innovations nurses truly become the leader in helping resolve the perplexing and confounding issues of global healthcare quality by connecting, collaborating, and catalyzing.