The Balance Scorecard (BSC) in practice- the factors affecting the Essay

The Balance Scorecard (BSC) in practice- the factors affecting the successful implementation of a BSC - Essay Example Norton and Robert S. Kaplan (Punniyamoorthy & Murali, 2008). Balance Scorecard helps in implementing the organizational strategies in terms of actionable plan and make it a thorough continual process by providing a comprehensive road map of how to effectively carry out strategy, including the alignment and mobilization of the management team and other employees (Punniyamoorthy & Murali, 2008). According to Harvard Business Review, the Balance Scorecard is one of the most influential management ideas of the past 75 years (Palladium, n.d.). Today, many large, medium-sized and even small organizations use the Balance Scorecard as a performance measurement system, but usually small and medium-size companies fail to successfully implement that. This happens generally due to the gap between their strategies and vision. This paper is based on the concept of Balance Scorecard. The essay starts with the introduction, followed by a thorough understanding of the Balance Scorecard, with the significant reviews of the applicable literature, including factors that obstructs the successful execution of a Balance Scorecard. The Balance Scorecard is a tool that helps the organizations to create a link between its strategy and actions, encourages the individuals to involve in organizational planning, focuses on the critical phases of the business and take action instantly when change is required (Atkinson, 2006). It is a multidimensional tool that can be used in management, strategic and measurement systems. With its multidimensional tactics, the Balanced Scorecard integrates the performance measurement of both financial and management aspects (Punniyamoorthy & Murali, 2008). It measures the performance by focusing on four major perspectives, which includes financial stability, customer base, business operations, and learning and development. This tool gives the meaningful interpretations of the interconnections between the business processes

Questionnaire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Questionnaire - Essay Example The support from Medea’s boyfriend Jason will benefit Medea a lot as is evident from the table. The average monthly cash inflow has increased by a significant amount and now she has sufficient amount of ready cash. This allows Medea to finance her bicycle as the bicycle will cost her  £400 to 600 while the cash available with her now is far exceeding the expected cost of that bicycle. This alternative has a very positive impact on the financial position of Medea. Her yearly income increases by almost three times while the monthly cash flow improves a little less than 5 times. Through this support from her boyfriend, she is now able to finance her bicycle that was desperately needed by her in order to save her commuting costs. Comparing the above table for incomes with and without Jason (and Argo), we can see that the gross income increases by almost double of Medea’s individual income. Despite this significant increase in the income, all the expenses could increase only by smaller amounts except food expenses which show an increase of double the amount that was when Medea was alone. This relatively less increase in total expenses compared to the increase in the total gross income results in a considerable increase in the net income for the year. Similarly, the cash flows conditions also get better considerably and now Medea has monthly cash almost 5 times of what she had before support from her boyfriend Jason. Without Jason’s support it was not possible for her to finance her bicycle and save commuting cost but now she has 1640 Euros on average after paying for all her expenses which enables her to buy the desired bicycle even if costs her the highest expected price of 600 Euros. Now, when we assume that Polly chooses for option A and also that the interest rate remains constant throughout the period of mortgage; using the saving and borrowing calculator, we arrive at the following results: b) It is quite obvious that if the mortgage period and

Resistance to Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Resistance to Change - Essay Example The other tactic that can be used to reduce change in an organization is education. In most cases, when there is lack of information about a particular change initiative, people tend to resist it. it is therefore imperative to educate the members involved so that they can share the same understanding with the change agents. There are likely chances that people will understand why change is necessary in the organization if they are educated. For example, people may resist computerisation in their workplace in preference of traditional methods of storing and processing information which are manual in most cases. The main reason for this resistance is that people may lack knowledge about operating computers. Therefore it is important to educate them so that they can also understand the benefits of using computers in the workplace. The other method that can be implemented in order to reduce resistance to change in the organization is negotiation. According to Jackson & Schuler (2000), when a certain group will clearly lose out in a change and that group has considerable power to resist, then it is important to negotiate. Negotiation will create a win-win situation where the groups involved are likely to benefit from the change initiative at the end of the day. For instance, the management may not be able to fire the productive employees in the organization simply because they have resisted change. Instead, the two groups should come to the drawing table and negotiate so that they can map the way forward about how they can tackle the pressing issue together as a group not individuals. Cooptation is the other tactic that can be implemented in order to reduce change when other tactics will not work or are too expensive. Different ideas are taken into consideration so as to enable the members of the organization to agree on one thing that can rescue the company from collapse. This is more of a compromise situation where a

Questionnaire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Questionnaire - Essay Example The support from Medea’s boyfriend Jason will benefit Medea a lot as is evident from the table. The average monthly cash inflow has increased by a significant amount and now she has sufficient amount of ready cash. This allows Medea to finance her bicycle as the bicycle will cost her  £400 to 600 while the cash available with her now is far exceeding the expected cost of that bicycle. This alternative has a very positive impact on the financial position of Medea. Her yearly income increases by almost three times while the monthly cash flow improves a little less than 5 times. Through this support from her boyfriend, she is now able to finance her bicycle that was desperately needed by her in order to save her commuting costs. Comparing the above table for incomes with and without Jason (and Argo), we can see that the gross income increases by almost double of Medea’s individual income. Despite this significant increase in the income, all the expenses could increase only by smaller amounts except food expenses which show an increase of double the amount that was when Medea was alone. This relatively less increase in total expenses compared to the increase in the total gross income results in a considerable increase in the net income for the year. Similarly, the cash flows conditions also get better considerably and now Medea has monthly cash almost 5 times of what she had before support from her boyfriend Jason. Without Jason’s support it was not possible for her to finance her bicycle and save commuting cost but now she has 1640 Euros on average after paying for all her expenses which enables her to buy the desired bicycle even if costs her the highest expected price of 600 Euros. Now, when we assume that Polly chooses for option A and also that the interest rate remains constant throughout the period of mortgage; using the saving and borrowing calculator, we arrive at the following results: b) It is quite obvious that if the mortgage period and

Lending Situation paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Lending Situation - Term Paper Example As it looks, the company is currently struggling in the market since the margins reflected in the last financial records show that it made a profit of only $275,000 the previous year. It is even more worrying to learn that there was a drop in the company’s revenues from the previous year (6,150,000 to 5,200,000); an indication that the company’s revenues have been declining over the years. It is also clear that this decline is majorly attributed to the fact that the company is still operating on the traditional old ways of print media while the current world is shifting to the digital media. Indications are that the company is competing with other major producers which give the company a stiff competition in the market. For the construction of the new plant to take place, it will need a duration of 12 months to be completed which is a long time since during this period there will be no increase in production and the company will therefore have to rely only on the already depreciating revenues from the old press. On the positive end, Mr. Harvey’s plan seems to be a well thought out investment to salvage the company from declining; it is a promising kind of investment since this is where the market trend is heading to. With the establishment of the new plant, he will be able to maintain and even increase company’s market share. This will tremendously increase the revenue base of the company. The company is well located in the suburbs where there is availability of labour required in the plant. An area of 150 miles is a large area dominated by the company and focusing on this market will give the company good revenue. It is also important to note that Mr. Harvey is not abandoning the printing altogether because there will always be a need for print media even with the shift in technology. This will provide continuous income to the company. As pointed out by Ahlers, print media in the form of books, magazines, newspapers will

IOP on Glass, Eyes, and Doll’s Essay Example for Free

IOP on Glass, Eyes, and Doll’s Essay Imagery; vivid descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste). The first impression of a person that someone gets will always color the image of the person. Everything about how someone looks and acts creates how that person is viewed by others. But when this image is controlled by others or the person just isn’t strong enough to show their true self, their identity is twisted into something almost unrecognizable. Henrik Ibsen, Zora Neale Hurston, and Tennessee Williams use the imagery connected with their lead female characters to show how society tries to put individuals down with false generalizations to hide women’s identities. The authors use the imagery of clothing to address how family members try to mold the women below them in power to their image of their character. For the Sternbergs fancy dress ball Torvald want’s his wife Nora to dress up, â€Å" and Torvald wants me to go as a Neapolitan fisher-girl,† (Ibsen 37). The Neapolitan fisher girls are girls from Naples, Italy often thought of as possessing a very classic Grecian beauty. These fisher girls have been subjects of many works of art such as paintings and statues. With Torvald making Nora dress up as a Neapolitan fisher girl he is making her into something beautiful and to be appraised like a piece of art. This image of Nora being beautiful like a painting is Torvald’s way of putting Nora beneath him. He dresses her up and parade’s her among their friends while all the while taking ownership of her beauty. Nora doesn’t get to choose what she wears to this ball and she is not recorded saying a word to anyone a t the party. Torvald even commands Nora to leave the party after she has finished her dance as he doesn’t want anyone being near her. Nora’s identity is lost in the imagery of her Neapolitan fisher-girl costume and Torvald’s control of her dress. By the same token Janie in Their Eyes Were Watching God is forced to wear head rags by her husband Joe. â€Å"The business of the head-rag irked her endlessly. But Jody was set on it. Her hair was NOT going to show in the store,† (Hurston 55). The imagery of Janie’s head-rags suggests that she is Joe’s property. Janie’s hair is her personal symbol of power,strength, and identity. Joe by making Janie cover her hair up in head-rags is symbolically stifling Janie’s power and identity. Without her individuality Janie is nothing but what Joe makes out of her, which is his wife. And society too will only see Janie’s image as Joe makes her image to be . Laura from The Glass Menagerie is also suffered to a similar fate as Nora and Janie as her mother forces her to wear chest enhancements. â€Å"‘Now take a look at yourself. No, wait! Wait just a moment- I have an idea!’ Amanda produces two powder puffs which she wraps in handkerchiefs and stuffs in Laura’s bosom. ‘Mother, what are you doing? They’re called gay deceivers! †¦ I won’t wear them!’ â€Å" (Williams 120). Similarly the imagery of the powder puffs implies that Laura is the perfect young woman that Amanda invisions of her. With Amanda putting the powder puffs down Laura’s dress she is trying to envision Laura as a perfect young woman. But Laura just is not this perfect girl who everyone loves and adores like Amanda wants to see Laura as. The imagery of Laura’s deceivingly good figure signifies that people will perceive her as a perfect young woman. Nora and Janie’s imagery of the past and their memories is used against them to paint false images of their identities. Near the end of the play, Torvald has just found out of what Nora had done in the past to save him and utters this simple and resonant statement, â€Å"And I must sink to such miserable depths because of a thoughtless woman!† (72). With this sentence Torvald is making Nora seem like a terrible woman who is mindless to any thought of her husband. Even though much earlier in the play Nora tells Mrs.Linde that she only borrowed money so that her husband wouldn’t die from his illness. Torvald just judges Nora’s image by her actions, not the motives behind her actions. And this paints an entirely false image of Nora as being thoughtless and uncaring about her husband. When in any case Nora was just looking out for her husband, being anything but thoughtless and uncaring. The Victorian society Nora lives in is also as cruel to someone in her position. It goes without saying that the man is always the one to handle the money and the well being of the family. And by Nora borrowing money by herself she is breaking the rigid gender roles that their society has set in place for women. So society will also look down on Nora as a disgraceful woman because of her past actions. Janie is in a similar situation when coming home from the Everglades is judged by her neighbors. â€Å"They passed nations through their mouths. They sat in judgement. Seeing the woman as she was made them remember the envy they had stored up from other times. So they chewed up the back parts of their minds and swallowed with relish,† (1-2). The people of Eatonville, especially the women had always been jealous of the attention Janie had gotten from men for her looks. And with the knowledge that Janie had ran off with a younger man in the past the people think of Janie as a absurd fool. But they don’t know that Janie with all her suffering and joy that she lived through is incredibly wise. The imagery of Janie’s actions or more so the memory of her actions, has the people of her community believing that Janie is nothing more than a lost old woman, falling for the false love of a young man. Janie’s individuality as a woman who is wise and has lived through many tough times is taken away from her as Eatonville reduces her to just a love sick woman. Hurston, Williams, and Ibsen use the imagery of objects to display how people on the outsides of the characters lives perceive them and their individuality. When Jim is over at the Wingfields apartment Laura is telling of how much she loves the unicorn from her glass menagerie. â€Å" You see how the light shines through him? †¦ I shouldn’t be partial but he is my favorite one Haven’t you noticed the single horn on his forehead? †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (143-144). The imagery of Laura’s favorite glass ornament, the unicorn, represents how people in society see Laura. Like the unicorn which light shines through, Laura’s disposition and identity is completely see through. Every facet of her personality is easy to see as she is but a incredibly shy and timid girl. Laura’s love for the unicorn is because of it’s peculiarity of the horn that separates him from the other glass horses in her collection. The imagery of this unique glass unicorn represents Laura’s own individual separation from other girls. Everyone notices that Laura is uniquely different, like her glass unicorn she loves so much.In the same way as the unicorn describes Laura, the Christmas tree in the Helmer’s home describes Nora. â€Å"Hide the Christmas tree carefully Helen. Be sure the children do not see it till this evening, when it is dressed †¦ And what is in this parcel? No no! you mustn’t see that until this evening,† (5 7). The image of the splendid and elusive Christmas tree in A Doll’s House expresses how Nora’s identity is seen by the society around her. The Christmas tree serves the function as an ornament in the household and Nora just like the tree is ornamental in the home. She doesn’t take care of the children, or have a job, she just decorates and dresses up for the people of the house as well as the visitors. And as a decoration Nora isn’t able to voice her own opinion or let her identity shine through the pretty things that accessorize her. Nora’s identity is hidden away throughout the play and as the Christmas tree is hid from the children, Nora’s dress is hidden from Torvald so he will not see her. Nora’s identity is hidden from not only the people she knows but also the one’s she is closest to. She is not able to be herself as society shuns Nora’s true identity, as the loving wife she is that would do anything for her husband, such as borrow money without his consent so he can live. Janie is also in Laura and Nora’s situation as the people in her community judge her actions and therefore her identity because of her hair. â€Å"What dat ole forty year ole ‘oman doin’ wid her hair swingin’ down her back lak some young gal?† (2). Just like the two women in the other pieces of literature, the image of Janie’s long hair is utilized by Hurston to show how Janie’s community in Eatonville doesn’t recognize Janie’s true identity. The women on the porch mention that Janie looks like a foolish old woman with her hair all the way down her back like some young woman. The women of Eatonville think Janie is trying to be like a young woman as she has run off with a young man and is now coming back with her hair no longer tied up. This is not the true image of Janie as she is not trying to be a young woman. After all the life that Janie has experienced she keeps her hair down to show that she no longer cares what people in society think of her. But the image of her loose hair to the rest of her society is of a very rebellious and foolish old woman. They want to see her as a married woman being under the thumb of her husband and not as herself. Even though now Janie is trying to show her true identity the community won’t accept that and is blinding themselves by only focusing on her hair to critique Janie in the way they want to think of her. The three authors use the imagery of speech to the character to shape their false identity in the eyes of their family. One day in the store Joe get’s frustrated with Janie’s poor job at cutting some tobacco and insults her about her age. â€Å"A woman stay round uh store till she get old as Methusalem and still can’t cut a little thing like a plug of tobacco!† (78). The image of Methuselah that Joe says to describe Janie is used to show how Joe and Eatonville see Janie when she is in the store. Methuselah is a man from the Bible that is known to be the oldest person to ever live. The allusion to this character is said by Joe to make Janie feel like she is so old that she is ancient. It insults Janie and her character, making her seem old and inefficient for not being able to cut a plug of tobacco after all the time she spends in the store. Eatonville after hearing what Joe has spoken of Janie can see her as an elderly woman who still can’t do simpl e chores around the store. In a likewise manner Amanda says some harsh words to Laura for dropping out of business college and hiding it from her. â€Å"You did all this to deceive me, just for deception? †¦ We won’t have a business career- we’ve given that up because it gave us nervous indigestion! †¦ barely tolerated spinsters living upon the grudging patronage of sister’s husband or brothers wife!† (93-94). In the same way Amanda’s image placed on Laura when she learns she dropped out of business college in secret is used by Williams to show that Amanda see’s Laura as a weak girl with no identity to her. The image of Laura is that she is a fragile girl with little to no way to support herself having left the one opportunity she had to make a future for herself. The imagery of Amanda’s words that Williams writes twists the picture of Laura into a thoughtless and selfish girl, not thinking about anything but her own personal desires. But her identity is not as a thoughtless girl but as a shy and caring young woman. She is seen as continually concerned for her brother, but still throughout most of the play Amanda see’s Laura as being just self involved. The false image of Laura as being self absorbed is enforced by the imagery of Amanda’s harsh words about dropping out of business college. In opposition to Janie and Laura, the pet names Torvald uses for Nora as terms of endearment are actually very insulting terms to her. â€Å"Is my little squirrel come home? †¦ The same little featherhead! †¦ Come come my little skylark, †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (6-7). Comparably Torvald’s words to Nora are suppose to be endearing but with the knowledge of what the animals are is used to paint an unflattering picture of Nora. Squirrels are animals with very small brains and that are generalized as being unintelligent. A featherhead isn’t an animal, but it is implying that Nora’s head isn’t filled with a brain, but is instead filled with feathers. Nothing substantial t hat she can actually make her own thoughts with. Torvald with this term of endearment is suggesting that Nora doesn’t have a brain but just feathers in her head. Furthermore a skylark is a bird that nests on the ground, then being easily destroyed and that are not very distinctive in coloring. This name makes Nora seem plain and foolish. With these pet names of animals that are ordinary Torvald through the imagery of his words is insinuating that Nora is plain and not very bright. Torvald is also putting himself above Nora with his words. He is making it seem like he is the all important person of the house and that he is better than Nora because he is intelligent. Nora’s individuality is taken away from her with Torvald putting above himself and putting her in the background. Nora has no identity when she is with Torvald as he puts her so below himself that he doesn’t believe she can be herself. Tennessee Williams, Henrik Ibsen, and Zora Neale Hurston use the imagery in their works associated with their lead females to portray how society’s views of people is usually false and undermines their individuality. How people are viewed by what they wear, what they own, their past, and what people say to them is a simple way to miss a person’s true identity. These generalized views are easily broken apart when evidence of people’s character is put forward, and this is what get’s society into trouble. These three authors aren’t just writing literature, they are making a statement on how society works. Including how society is wrong and how generalizations about types of people need to be broken in the collective minds of the people so every person is seen as themselves and not as a stereotype. To give everyone their own voice without being prejudged by society’s absurd expectations.

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