Leadership and Change Management
In addition to the technical aspects of hospital pharmacy, pharmacists often play leadership and management roles in their roles. Therefore, it is important to include change management and leadership skills development modules. This can cover topics such as:
- Leadership 4.0 and the Digital Revolution
- Design Thinking and Innovation
- Ethical and Socially Responsible Leadership
- Digital Mentoring and Intergenerational Collaboration
- Change Management and Resilience
1-Leadership 4.0 and the Digital Revolution
Exploration of emerging technological trends (IoT, AI, ADC, blockchain) and their impact on hospital pharmacy.
This article focuses on empowering hospital pharmacists to lead digital transformation and innovation in their hospital pharmacies. With the pharmaceutical industry constantly evolving, leaders need to adopt an agile, forward-looking approach. Designed to help pharmacy professionals become visionary leaders, capable of shaping the future of hospital pharmaceutical care, with the aim of combining new technologies with current functions, such as patient safety, waste reduction, hospital logistics, clinical pharmacy , among others.
Do you know when smartphones evolved over the years and became an essential part of our lives? Likewise, the digital revolution is changing the way hospital pharmacies work. New technologies such as sensors, ADC, artificial intelligence and blockchain are entering pharmacy. And as a leader, it is important to understand these changes and how they can improve pharmaceutical care in the hospital.
The Role of Pharmaceutical Leadership in Driving Digital Innovation
Have you ever heard of how ship captains sail through stormy seas? Likewise, pharmaceutical leaders play a crucial role in guiding their teams through the waves of digital innovation in healthcare. Let's explore how they do this.
Understanding the Digital Revolution
The digital revolution is like a hurricane that sweeps across the healthcare field, bringing new technologies and changes. As a pharmaceutical leader, it is your role to understand these changes. This means staying up to date with technologies such as artificial intelligence, the internet of things and blockchain systems, which can transform the way hospital pharmacies work.
Defining the Vision and Strategy
Imagine you are the captain of a ship and you need to chart a course to an unknown destination. Pharmaceutical leaders are like captains, defining the vision and strategy for adopting these new technologies. They determine how digital innovation can improve efficiency, patient safety and quality of services in hospital pharmacy, aiming for better hospital care for patients.
Empowering the Team
Pharmaceutical leaders do not navigate alone. They empower their teams to embrace digital innovation. This involves providing training, supporting learning and encouraging creativity. Imagine a ship crew who needs to understand how to operate new navigation technologies. Pharma leaders play this role, ensuring everyone on board is prepared for the digital journey.
Embracing Agility and Flexibility
Sometimes the weather at sea changes quickly, and the captain needs to adapt. Likewise, digital innovation is dynamic, and pharmaceutical leaders need to be agile and flexible. They must be willing to adjust strategy as new technologies and challenges emerge. This helps keep the hospital pharmacy on track, even in the face of unexpected changes.
Measuring Progress and Learning from Mistakes
As captain, you use compasses and stars to measure your ship's progress. Similarly, pharmaceutical leaders use indicators and metrics to assess the impact of digital innovation. They also learn from mistakes, like a good captain who uses past experiences to make better decisions in the future, that is, working on mistakes so they don't happen again.
Pharmacy leaders play a vital role in driving digital innovation in hospital pharmacies. They are the captains who guide their teams with vision, strategy and adaptability, ensuring their healthcare institutions successfully navigate the waters of digital transformation.
2-Design Thinking and Innovation
Application of design thinking principles to solve challenges in hospital pharmacy.
Imagine you have a problem in the pharmacy that needs to be solved, such as improving efficiency in dispensing medicines. Design thinking is one way to approach this problem. It involves looking at the problem from different angles, thinking creatively and working as a team to find innovative solutions. It's like being a detective looking for clues to solve a puzzle, the methodology Lean Healthcare helps in resolving various situations and problems in a simple and efficient way.
3. Ethical and Socially Responsible Leadership
Being an ethical leader means making choices that are right and fair, even when no one is looking. Imagine that you discover that a medicine is out of date at the pharmacy. As a leader, it is your responsibility to make the right decision, which is to withdraw the medication to avoid risks to patients. Furthermore, being socially responsible involves thinking about how pharmacy can contribute to the community and people's well-being.
Ethics in leadership means making responsible and correct decisions.
4. Digital Mentoring and Intergenerational Collaboration
How to establish digital mentoring and foster collaboration between generations?
Harnessing the skills and knowledge of all generations of pharmacists.
Mentoring is like having a more experienced friend who can give you advice and share knowledge. In the digital world, this can happen through video calls and online conversations. Imagine a more experienced pharmacist giving tips to a younger colleague on how to handle difficult situations in the pharmacy. This helps everyone to grow and learn together, regardless of age, we must put vanities aside, as everyone can collaborate with each other, with a single objective: efficiency in processes and the safety and well-being of patients.
5. Change Management and Resilience
Changes are like waves in the ocean: they come and go. In a hospital environment, it is important to know how to deal with change. Being resilient means being like a spring that can bend but not break. You can learn to adapt to change and help your team face challenges while maintaining a positive work environment.
Strategies for Leading and Managing Change in Hospital Pharmacies
Leading and managing change in hospital pharmacies is like leading a group through an unknown forest. It's challenging, but with the right strategies, it's possible to successfully navigate this ever-evolving territory. Here are some key strategies:
5.1. Clear and Continuous Communication
Communication is the compass that keeps the team heading in the right direction. As a leader, it is essential to clearly communicate the reason for the changes, the objectives to be achieved and what is expected of each team member. Additionally, communication should be ongoing, providing regular updates and opportunities for team members to ask questions and share concerns.
5.2. Team Involvement
Imagine that everyone on the team is like experienced forest guides. They have valuable knowledge to contribute. Encourage active team participation in the change process. This may include forming working groups where members can offer suggestions and solutions. When people feel involved, they are more willing to accept and embrace change, they feel valued, which is why they become more committed and engaged.
5.3. Setting Clear Goals
Setting goals is like establishing landmarks on a map. Goals must be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (known as SMART goals). By setting clear goals, everyone on the team understands what they are trying to achieve and has a sense of purpose, as we should all have a clear purpose that gives us direction.
5.4. Resistance Management
Just like a difficult trail, there may be obstacles along the way. Some team members may resist change due to fear of the unknown or concern about the impact on their roles. As a leader, it is important to recognize this resistance and deal with it empathetically. This may involve providing support, clarifying misunderstandings and showing the benefits of change. Don't do to your employees what you, as a leader, wouldn't want your manager to do to you.
5.5. Constant Monitoring and Evaluation
Change is like a journey that requires regular checkpoints. Establish monitoring systems to assess progress toward established goals. This allows for adjustments as the change is implemented. Furthermore, celebrate milestones and successes along the way, recognize the team's effort and commitment, celebrate together with them.
5.6. Training and Qualification
Sometimes change involves learning new skills and gaining knowledge. Make sure staff have access to the training and enablement they need to adapt to changes successfully. This may include professional development programs and practical workshops, develop an ongoing training program with your team.
5.7. Focus on Organizational Culture
Organizational culture is like the forest landscape, shaping everyone's experience. Leaders must promote a culture that values continuous learning, adaptability and innovation. A positive organizational culture facilitates the acceptance of changes.
Leading and managing change in hospital pharmacies requires a strategic approach that involves effective communication, team engagement, goal setting, resistance management and constant monitoring. With the right strategies, hospital pharmacies can successfully navigate the changes and continue to provide high-quality care to patients.
Thought leadership stands out for its practical approach, focus on leading in a rapidly evolving pharmaceutical environment, and use of simulation and online collaboration technologies. It prepares hospital pharmacists to lead transformation in their institutions and face the challenges of hospital pharmaceutical care in the future, as evolution and changes are constant, so we must prepare.
