The orthopedics department at your hospital is thinking about merging with the sports medicine department, which has in the past shared physicians, physician assistants, and nursing and support staff, but they have always had their own departmental structures and leadership. The merger is being considered because the staffs currently share exam rooms, operating theatres, and many administrative and diagnostic equipment and procedures. The hospital administration thinks the merger will help save administrative costs without detriment to patient care. Staff members are nervous about this merger and wonder if it will cause changes in shifts, long-standing surgical work groups, and even loss of jobs. You are the leader of the sports medicine department. You have used adaptive leadership in

Question

past challenges and are going to try it now. Apply the adaptive leadership model to this situation and describe some of the major steps you will take to deal with this potential merger.

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary considerably but should include a diagnosis of technical, technical and adaptive, or adaptive challenge (really this is adaptive in nature). Then they should describe some of the six leader behaviors, the holding environment, and how the interaction with the team will work.