C200 - Task 2 DCM2 Organization and Leadership Evaluation

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Feb 20, 2024

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1 Managing Organizations and Leading People – Task 2 - DCM2 Melissa Morrison Western Governors University Dr. Vincent Franklin, Ph.D November 4 th , 2023

2 A. Organization Description In 2017, I had the distinct opportunity to work for Matrix Medical Network for five years and achieved several promotions. Matrix Medical Network is a large clinician-led healthcare company founded in 2000 that operates nationally. The company has an astonishing 5,000 employees covering all 50 states. The mission of the company is to provide healthcare services to at-risk populations and close care gaps for healthcare plans. Matrix services can be offered via telehealth, home health, or in-person at a mobile health clinic. In the height of COVID-19, the organization expanded the services to incorporate coronavirus testing, vaccinations, and treatment across the United States. Contracts were signed with large organizations, state entities, and educational institutions. These services were offered at accessible site locations or health fairs organized within cities by request. Considering this is a large company and executive decisions are passed down through the supervisor, it would be easy to focus on the C-suite team. However, focus will be given to my previous supervisor, Alfred Garcia. Alfred was the Director of Project Management Business Transformation Team. A1. Leadership Practices I experienced my fair share of quality amongst leaders during my employment at Matrix Medical Network. Every leader, regardless of their experience or style, offers lessons learned. Typically, we imagine the most impactful leaders to be the ones who guide us successfully through obstacles. However, leaders who leave much to be desired will often force critical growth and development. Alfred exhibited many great qualities that I hope one day to emulate. I believe his best leadership practice was how thoroughly he communicated to his team and leadership. Alfred

3 scheduled weekly calls with the entire team to ensure we had a safe place to discuss our projects, troubleshoot any risks, or simply voice complaints. On top of the weekly team calls, he also scheduled monthly one-on-ones with each direct report to allow additional uninterrupted time. By scheduling these meetings, we knew we had support from our leader, bringing a sense of comradery amongst the team. If we ever needed to meet with him, we knew that he would make himself available through phone calls and text messages. Empathy is an important quality in a leader that allows for a connection between a leader and direct report. Many of our team members, myself included, experienced difficulties in our personal lives, ranging from health issues to losing loved ones. Without a beat, Alfred showed genuine empathy every time. For example, I lost my only sibling in 2022. When I got the news, I called Alfred to notify him I would need to step away from work for an extended period while I took care of my brother’s affairs. In line with his compassionate nature, he advised me to go and leave work behind. While I was away, he checked on me regularly and shared in my grief, as he also suffered the loss of a sibling. The last practice Alfred exhibited was the willingness to take on any project that needed assistance. Our team handled projects ranging from IT to state-awarded contracts. He emphasized to our team that when someone needs help, we are there to provide our expertise for the good of the entire company. He challenged each of us to dive into the project and provide excellence. At times, the total immersion from the managerial level felt like a challenge, but after much-needed hindsight and perspective, we realized the end result was a very successful business partnership.

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4 A2. Organizational Culture Organizational culture is crucial for employee satisfaction and retainment. Most of the workforce will choose to seek employment elsewhere instead of working in a negative or toxic environment. Alfred’s personality and leadership style ensured that was not the case at Matrix Medical Network. He created a culture conducive to many different workstyles. He did not succeed unless the team succeeded and felt valued, professionally and personally. There was never a time where we were made to feel guilty for needing to take care of personal matters during work hours. His motto was as long as your work gets done, then take care of your family. If you ever had a problem, he would help you either find a solution or an outlet. B. SWOT Analysis In this section I will conduct a SWOT analysis on Matrix Medical Network. This will consist of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. B1. Strengths One of Matrix Medical Network’s many strengths was providing excellent customer service to all members, instilled at every organizational level. To encourage employees to provide excellence, Matrix implemented an incentive program. Naturally this incentive program motivated employees to perform well, which resulted in greater success in meeting client expectations. This led to longer contract extensions and the company achieving their EBITA goal. Another strength Matrix Medical Network had was the technology in the mobile health clinics. The clinics were outfitted with an array of testing equipment, such as electrocardiograms, digital retinal scanning, mammography, and much more. Having these capabilities allowed Matrix to provide immediate service to patients, rather than referring them to specialists. This

5 allowed for an increase in company revenue while providing the patient with top-of-the-line care. Patients often expressed appreciation to clinicians for their ability to perform tests on-site which saved them time and money. B2. Weaknesses One major weakness within Matrix Medical Network was the failure to manage adequate staffing during the holiday season. The company did not factor in employees’ travel plans when scheduling events. Often, this would result in early closures or compensating employees to alter preexisting travel plans. Unsurprisingly, this resulted in employee and client abrasion. There came a point in my tenure at Matrix where the team witnessed widespread shortage on every level and led to in clinics closing, missed business opportunities, and poor client relations. Equipment failure was another weakness within the company. Since the mobile clinics had medical equipment installed, they required secure storage sites and specific handling. In the event of incorrect storage, expensive medical equipment was damaged. The capabilities of the entire event would be compromised and the Matrix would lose revenue in the form of wasted COVID and influenza vaccines and missed service level agreements. Specialized equipment, such as mammography imaging, cost upwards of $10,000 in repairs. This weakness could be attributed to poor handling, insufficient training, or human error secondary to fatigue. B3. Unmet Opportunities An unmet opportunity for the organization was the lack of vertical career growth. Creating a clear and attainable path of growth incentives employees to remain motivated and increase organizational morale. Employees would remain loyal to the organization, rather than seek opportunities elsewhere.

6 The lack of equipment within the company lab is another unmet opportunity. If the organization had invested in quality specimen collection equipment, it could have avoided outsourced costs to run routine tests. Having the proper equipment would allow the lab to be more efficient, increase revenue, and meet client service level agreements. Additionally, providing an internal testing service specifically for the organization’s clients could result in speedier test results. Faster results would lead to an increase in client satisfaction, especially in our modern culture of instant gratification. B4. Threats The biggest threat any company may encounter is a competitor offering the same services at a lower price. When I left Matrix Medical Network, three other competitors began to expand their services to match our mobile health clinics at a lower cost. Clients informed the company they had visited the competitors and found matches in Matrix Medical’s quality but at discounted prices. This threat impacts on negotiating ability whenever trying to win a request for proposal from future clients. Another threat to the company is the cost of maintaining the mobile health clinics. The state-of-the art clinics are equipped with hundreds of thousands of dollars, but are housed in cheap fiberglass exteriors. The smallest of accidents costs thousands in repairs. Of course, proper driving would eliminate the need for repairs, but accidents do happen. This will be an ongoing threat since the company has upwards of 40 mobile health clinics throughout the United States that operate six days of the week. C. Leadership Evaluation Alfred’s leadership style aligns with servant leader qualities. Blanchard & Broadwell define servant leadership in two parts: A visionary or strategic role, and an implementation or

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7 operational role (2018). I can attest that he fully encompasses both parts of servant leadership. When the opportunity permitted, he would involve the team in crucial decision-making meetings, promoting a feeling of empowerment at all levels. He skillfully balanced promoting and encouraging employee growth while improving the culture and quality of the organization. Caring for others came naturally and was showcased during every individual and group interaction. C1. Strengths Of all Alfred’s strengths, the one that resonates most was his listening skills. He provided his undivided attention, allowed a fully finished expression, and then gathered a moment to process before responding. “The servant leader seeks to identify the will of a group and helps to clarify that will. He or she listens receptively to what is being said and not said” (Blanchard & Broadwell, 2018 p.7). Too many times leaders will already have their fingers on the trigger with programmed responses. Alfred’s active listening created a welcome environment of trust and security. The second notable strength was his ability of persuasion in group settings. In times of conflict, he was able to clearly articulate Matrix Medical’s goals and gain the favor of the team and client. “The servant leader is effective at building consensus within groups” (Blanchard & Broadwell, 2018 p.16). A memorable example of this was during a tense meeting where the clinical staff opposed the use of telehealth. Alfred utilized a variety of respectful persuasion tactics to describe the mutually beneficial rationale behind implementation, ultimately leading to a match in the organization’s direction and employee engagement. The final strength Alfred demonstrated regularly was foresight during projects. I was amazed at how accurately he could predict an expected outcome. By having the foresight of a

8 servant leader, he was able to lead me to success on my first state contacted project. Blanchard & Broadwell (2018) described this foresight allows the servant leader to understand the lessons from the past, the current reality, and the potential consequence of a decision for the future (p.17). Alfred utilized the sum of his experiences and innate understanding of second, third, and fourth order effects, and could forecast success and challenges. C2. Weaknesses The first weakness that comes to mind was Alfred’s inability to realize when he needed healing. Spears (2010) said, “One of the greatest strengths of servant leadership is the potential for healing oneself and one’s relationship to others”(p.3). Alfred underwent a traumatic personal loss at home, but still attempted to fully juggle the demands of work. This ultimately led to a critical burnout where he was to take an extended absence from his duties at the direction of his leadership. While I can respect and empathize his desire and dedication to the team, his family needed him whole more than the organization did. As a servant leader, Alfred was always available to lend a helping hand. This admirable trait is a double-edged sword and if balance isn’t met, can be detrimental. By constantly extending his assistance to employees, he overextended and limited his resourcefulness and critical thinking. Some colleagues facing a roadblock would go straight to Alfred, knowing he wouldn’t refuse. Failing to redirect the member to attempt their own problem-solving led to perpetual over-dependency on a single source of truth, potentially limiting innovation and creativity. Alfred’s final weakness was overcommitting the team to unrealistic timelines. While this was partially the fault of the sales team for overpromising client deliverables, Alfred should have recognized his team’s capacity and pushed back on a few projects. As previously mentioned, he

9 was known for never turning down a project. This resulted in exhausted and overworked employees that juggled multiple simultaneous projects, jeopardizing organizational success. C3. Recommendations My first recommendation for Alfred would be to establish and maintain boundaries with business owners to advocate realistic expectations of his team. This could prove difficult, as he does not like to decline work, but is advisable for the sake of his team’s morale and efficiency. When approached by prospective business owners, Alfred should consult with the team to determine if the task load and timeline is feasible, then set clear boundaries. The team would feel more involved in the decision and appreciate the respect given to their bandwidth. My next recommendation would be for Alfred to be more proactive in communicating with the team and his leaders when he is nearing his mental capacity. Sacrificing one’s self to pour from an empty cup may seem admirable but is an ineffective technique. “Additionally, the servant leader’s primary objective is to serve and meet the needs of others, which optimally should be the prime motivation for leadership” (Russel and McMinn, 2001). If he is mentally checked out, then he cannot successfully operate as a servant leader. The last recommendation to Alfred would be to educate the team on the importance of servant leadership. Professional development lessons could be taught during team meetings to enhance the team’s ability to perform throughout the organization. As project managers, it is crucial to have strong listening skills to understand key deliverables and the needs of the client. By working on understanding the importance of servant leadership, the team will become better in both their professional and personal lives. Employees who are primed to lead before thrust into leadership roles are better prepared to face the unique challenges that come with supervision and management. After all, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

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10 References Blanchard, K. H., & Broadwell, R. (2018). Servant leadership in action: How you can achieve great relationships and results. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Greenleaf, R. K., Senge, P. M., Covey, S. R., & Spears, L. C. (2002). Servant Leadership : A Journey Into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness: Vol. Twenty-fifth anniversary edition . Paulist Press. McMinn, T.F. (2001), “ The conceptualization and perception of biblical servant leadership in the southern Baptist convention ”, Digital Dissertations, 3007038. Russell, R.F. (2001), “ The role of values in servant leadership ”, The Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 22 No. 2, pp. 76-83. Spears, L. C. (2010). The journey of servant-leadership. International Journal of Servant- Leadership, 6(1), 3–8. https://doi.org/10.33972/ijsl.176

C200 - Task 2 DCM2 Organization and Leadership Evaluation

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