Viewing Fieldwork Education Through the Lens of Servant Leadership

PRESENTED BY:

JASON MAHILO, MOT, OTR/L & KRISTIN WINSTON, PHD, OTR/L

What is leadership?

Formal versus Informal Leadership

“If we want occupational therapy to really act on changing society, more of us have to be leaders in all kinds of way” P. MoyersAS CITED IN (STRZELECKI, 2007)

Various types of leadership theories/styles

Autocratic Charismatic Laissez-faire Democratic Transactional Transformational

Why Servant Leadership?

Servant Leadership is a natural tendency that one wants to serve, serve first (Parris & Peachey, 2013).

Servant Leadership encompasses building on strengths to encourage others to strive for their best as a weakness is only a missing strength (Spears, 1998).

Servant leaders recognize that others need to be guided, encouraged, helped, and persuaded to capitalize on all opportunities around them (Spears, 1998).

Servant Leadership Principles (Spears, 2010):

1. Listening

2. Empathy

3. Healing

4. Awareness

5. Persuasion

6. Conceptualization

7. Foresight

8. Stewardship

9. Commitment

10. Building Community

Building Strengths in Fieldwork Through Servant Leadership

How to apply Servant Leadership Characteristics within a 12 week Level 2 Fieldwork

Weeks 1-3 Awareness Listening

Weeks 4-6 EmpathyHealingConceptualization

Weeks 7-9 PersuasionCommitmentStewardship

Weeks 10-12 ForesightBuilding Community

Defining the terms and relating to Occupational

Therapy

Awareness

Do you and your student have a sense of what is important for the fieldwork experience?

Awareness (weeks 1-3)

Definition requiring fieldwork students to

self-evaluate their skillset to provide ethical care to all populations.

Examples for application in fieldwork: Have the student identify his or

her:

Areas for growth

Areas of strength

Personal LTG’s/STG’s for performance on Level II Fieldwork.

Current level of knowledge regarding application/comprehension of standardized assessment

Listening:

As the fieldwork educator what steps might you take to model servant leadership through listening?

Does the student believe that you value what they have to say and that he or she will be heard?

Does the student have the skills to value what the client has to say?

Listening (weeks 1-3)

Definition students utilizing

subjective/objective assessments for understanding functional impairments and capabilities of clients as taught by educators

Examples for application in fieldwork: OT evaluation process

Listening to the responses from patients during the evaluation process

Obtaining subjective reports from patients, caregivers, and family

Healing:

Does the student know that he or she can come to you if things are difficult?

Does the student recognize when clients are working through difficult situations?

Healing (weeks 4-6)

Definition holistic approach with the mind,

body, and spirit of clients through re-engaging in meaningful occupations

Examples for application in fieldwork: Choosing appropriate goal driven

activity that promote healing for the mind, body, and spirit.

Encouraging participation in motivational activities identified by the client.

Feeling a sense of accomplishment mentally, physically, and spiritually

Empathy:

Have you demonstrated that you understand where the student is coming from and what he or she is going through?

Have you educated your student on “therapeutic use of self”?

Empathy (weeks 4-6)

Definition ability of a student to place

themselves in a client’s shoes to understand his/her lifestyle through therapeutic use of self

Examples for application in fieldwork: Identifying the process of clinical

use of self for building rapport with clients.

Demonstrating expressions or reactions of sympathy and concern during conversations or interactions.

Learning verbal and non-verbal forms of communication can display signs of empathy

Conceptualization:

Do you encourage students to develop their ideas?

Do you assist students with planning for their future and their own personal goals?

Conceptualization (weeks 4-6)

Definition students effectively plan current

and future short/long term goals for the client from a holistic perspective with a just-right challenge

Examples for application in fieldwork: Accurate and goal driven STG’s/LTG’s.

Able to plan for progress to be achieved during interventions for increasing functional independence in ADLs/IADLs.

Appropriate expectation/generalization of information to plan for progress to be achieved

Appropriate expectation/generalization of information from evals/recerts/other documentation to plan for progress to be acheived

Persuasion:

Have you worked to foster a sense of confidence in your student as he or she interacts with clients, families, and staff?

Have you demonstrated a sense of sureness in your presentation as a servant leader to your student?

Persuasion (weeks 7-9)

Definition students demeanor of confidence

to convince clients, colleagues, or family members of current interventions through Evidence Based Practice.

Examples for application in fieldwork: Demeanor towards benefit of OT

Ability to provide EBP research for justifying interventions utilized during therapy

Ability to explain professionally the clinical reasoning behind activities.

Commitment:

Does the student see you as someone who is committed to helping him or her grow and develop as a clinician?

Do you display your commitment to the client by participating in care plane discussions with other disciplines.

Commitment (weeks 7-9)

Definition learning as scholars to

participate in constant interdisciplinary communication & continuing education seminars

Examples for application in fieldwork: Think !!!

Pair !!!

Share !!!

Initiates interdisciplinary communication wit other disciplines (RN, PT, SLP, etc.) and third party vendors (i.e. HH companies)

Completing in-service or facility presentation to benefit population being treated.

Stewardship:

Does the student see you as a positive role model?

Stewardship (weeks 7-9)

Definition students master the Code of

Ethics of beneficence to place the better of society at the foremost of all skilled services

Examples for application in fieldwork: Demonstrates ability to provide

ethical care consistently with billing and interventions.

Honors all Code of Ethics for all services rendered demonstrating why OT is considered a skilled service.

Foresight:

Are you able to demonstrate a vision for the fieldwork experience to your student?

Are you able to convey your vision of the future of the profession for your student?

Foresight (weeks 10-12)

Definition learning the use of “in the

moment” projection through clinical reasoning to assess functional gains.

Examples for application in fieldwork: Thoughts??

Being able to respond to various complaints or deficits identified by the patient.

Ability to identify the “just right fit” for an activity and complications experienced during an intervention that requires adjustment.

Guide a student into responding to how a patient acts during an intervention according to their verbal/nonverbal communication

Ability to decrease/increase resistance or participation requirements to maximize rehab potential according to ability.

Building Community:

Does the student feel a sense of community where you work?

Are you able to foster the student’s sense of belonging to the larger community of occupational therapy?

Building Community (weeks 10-12)

Definition care shown towards the

community by studying and adhering to procedural and social justice in society during fieldwork study

Examples for application in fieldwork: Ideas and suggestions??

Demonstrating desire to benefit society as a whole not just patients being treated (family members, friends, and caregivers being included)

How can our interventions benefit a culture/society, how can we assist friends/caregivers of a patient, or how can we educate for future compensations to prevent difficulty after discharge.

Summary and Group Take Away Messages for Level II Fieldwork:

Servant Leadership can apply to practitioners not just fieldwork students and clinical fieldwork educators

Servant leaders have to possess the will to lead and foster growth in others

“If we want occupational therapy to really act on changing society, more of us have

to be leaders in all kinds of way” P. Moyers

References:

Crippen, C. (2010). Inclusive education: A servant-leadership perspective. Education Canada, 45(4), 19-22. Retrieved from http://www.cea-ace.ca

Dunbar, S. (2015). Servant leadership and the person-environment-occupation model in S. B. Dunbar & K. Winston (Eds.), An occupational perspective on leadership: Theoretical and practical dimensions (2nd ed.) (pp. 49-57). Thorofare, N.J.: Slack Incorporated.

Greenleaf, R.K. (1977). Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness. Mahway, N.J.: Paulist Press.

Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership theory and practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA.: Sage Publications.

Parris, D.L. & Peachey, J.W. (2013). A systematic literature review of servant leadership theory in organizational context. Journal of Business Ethics, 113(3), 377-393. doi:10.1007/s10551-012-1322-6

Spears, L.C. (2004). Prescription for organizational health servant leadership: Have what it takes to be a servant leader? Reflections on Nursing Leadership, fourth quarter, 24-26.

Spears, L. (1998). Insights on leadership: Service, stewardship, spirit, and servant-leadership. Toronto: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Spears, L.C. (2010). Character and servant leadership: Ten characteristics of effective, caring leaders. The Journal of Virtues and Leadership, 1(1), 25-30.

Waterman, H. (2011). Principles of 'servant leadership' and how they can enhance practice. Nursing Management, 17(9), 24-26.