Facilitating the transfer of leadership: EUROBOGEN supports healthcare professionals in their hierarchical and managerial development

In a constantly changing hospital environment, it is crucial to tackle the handover of leadership effectively. EUROBOGEN, a consultancy and training company, has positioned itself as a major player in supporting medical and paramedical teams by providing co-development workshops and tailor-made training programmes. Recently, a programme combining consultancy, training and participative workshops was agreed with the emergency department of a hospital in the Grand Est region of France. The aim was to help the next chiefs (chief and deputies) in their transition to their new leadership role.

Nous évoquons ici les enjeux liés à la passation de chefferie, la différence entre mentor et manager, ainsi que des recommandations vers un nouveau style de management intergénérationnel.

The transfer of chieftainship and the issues involved

The handover of leadership is a critical moment in the life of a medical team. It involves the transfer of leadership from one individual to another – or even several others if there are deputies or a desire for a particularly democratic and participative leadership style.

Changeover means a new personality and a new approach to the medical project and day-to-day issues. A new manager may be more academic, less experienced in the field, more traditional or, on the contrary, more inclined to experimentation and learning. It’s natural for change to bring upheaval, and it’s important to prepare the team well for these new developments.

If the team has developed bad habits (clans, conflict with management, internal competition), the handover of leadership is an opportunity to set the record straight and redefine together a code of conduct that promotes goodwill and performance.

https://www.eurobogen.com/formations/communication-non-violente/

The difference between mentor, manager, leader and coach

When handing over leadership, it’s wise to make a clear distinction between mentoring, management, leadership and coaching.

In her role as manager, the chief focuses mainly on operational aspects and achieving objectives; however, when she acts as a mentor to new doctors, she adopts a role focused on developing skills and passing on knowledge.

The leader influences the department to make an effort to build a great team that does great work and is proud of it. If members of the team lose their motivation, it’s the way she conducts face-to-face professional conversations as a coach that will restore confidence and bring doctors – paramedics and other partners – back to the common centre.

Intercultural and intergenerational management

The healthcare sector is particularly faced with the challenge of diversity, as the hospital is a social space – patients and professionals alike – where multiple cultural backgrounds and at least three generations rub shoulders. The coexistence of different generations of healthcare professionals, each with their own values, attitudes and work preferences, is an important socio-cultural aspect that new managers need to manage well to avoid friction or misunderstandings within the teams. The handover of leadership is an ideal time to redefine the relationship between the individual and the team, and to agree on how to deal with socio-cultural aspects together.

Towards a new management style

The handover of leadership is a pivotal moment in the evolution of the Services. It provides an opportunity to reassess existing management practices and adopt a new leadership style tailored to current needs.

Healthcare professionals are at the service of patients and the recovery of their health. The Continuous Medical Service is based on two managerial principles:

1) the process, i.e. flows, organisation and optimisation projects.

2) the staff, who share their skills, motivation and desire to improve.

The interface between the process (structure and organisation) and the people (individuals, groups) is complex, similar to hardware and software in IT.

A management style that will appeal to all generations and cultures is one that explains this interface and sets an example. The team will love a leader who ensures that there is a clear understanding of the functional steps and that everyone is responsible for taking on these roles with enthusiasm and dedication – for themselves, for the patients and for the Service. If the members of the team want to do this, then there’s a good chance that the manager will be a leader.

Conclusion and advice

For the handover of medical departments, we recommend :

Plan for change and give the team advance notice
Organiser une période de mentorat entre le chef partant et le chef arrivant
Faire des ateliers avec l’équipe pour gagner l’engagement avant de commencer une nouvelle phase
Redéfinir ensemble la vision, la mission et la stratégie du Service dans le système de l’hôpital
Expliquer la prochaine phase du projet médical – optimisations ou nouveautés
Explain the next phase of the medical project – improvements or new features
Agree on a caring culture, with explicit behaviours to achieve this.

EUROBOGEN consultancy guides healthcare professionals (hospitals, clinics, EHPADs) through management and leadership transitions to develop leadership based on listening, empathy and effective communication.

New leaders are encouraged to inspire and motivate their teams by adopting a participative management style, fostering collaboration and creativity within teams. To balance these characteristics and to meet the demands and constraints of the environment, monitoring efficiency, performance, the results chain and the accountability of each individual for achieving their objectives remain at the heart of management.