Transformational Leadership and Quality Improvement

Abstract

A major focus in today's health care debate is the question of how to achieve patient-centered care. while maintaining cost effectiveness. This involves balancing four types of qualities: Clinical quality whose standards are set by the health care experts, such as physicians, nurses, physiotherapists and pharmacists; patient-driven quality which puts the patients and all their needs in focus; employee-driven quality which seeks to meet the employees' need for purpose and meaning in their work to enhance self-esteem and self-actualization; economic-driven quality which is a measure of how the organization is meeting the above three mentioned qualities in the most cost effective manner. This goal must be achieved within the framework of a paradigm shift from modernism to postmodernism. This articles proposes transformational leadership as a leadership approach to help face the many challenges of patient-centered health care while meeting and balancing the clinical, patient, employee and economic driven qualities.