The recent events surrounding the Ebola outbreak, here in the US and abroad, have created an interesting opportunity for us to see how a leadership void impacts team effectiveness and how a lack of pre-planning influences our ability to successfully execute towards a positive outcome. The global response to Ebola has been haphazard, with some countries implementing full flight bans, others placing restrictions and placing measures in place to monitor incoming passengers, and even more believing that the risk was so low that precautionary measures were not placed into effect. The lack of consensus within the medical community with regards to what is a risk and how such risks should be dealt with has influenced how each nation has reacted to the Ebola outbreak. This in-and-of-itself is a clear example of why leadership is important.
The response within the United States has been equally mismanaged, and that is before the issue on how to deal with Ebola became a politicalized agenda topic. The lack of a single authority and clear direction have resulted in various approaches taken by the medical establishment, within our airport system, and now, even at the individual State level. Various organizations including the Center for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institute for Health among others have all weighed in, with each organization creating or adding to the confusion that we have all experienced over the past few weeks.
The appointment of Ron Klain as the newly appointed Ebola response coordinator is a good start to recovering from the mismanagement that has taken place thus far, and the description of his being a manager of the situation is spot on. The fact is, we don’t need another medical expert weighing in on the subject. What we need is for someone to behave like a CEO, meaning that we need Mr. Klain to solicit feedback from subject matter experts at home and abroad and then select the best course of action based on the available information.
Its important for Ron Klain to have support from his subordinates, which in this case would be the various organizations, institutions, and medical professionals that have had a role with our response to Ebola, and then we need that single voice to chart the course that we will follow, and do so with authority and conviction. The fact that Mr. Klain is not a medical professional and is being hired on to “manage” the situation and to provide clear and concise leadership should add value; and given that his position holds absolute authority, he should be able to move swiftly and effectively.
The question that needs to be answered now is how does one navigate a complex, fluid situation, and how do they find consensus when experts across the medical field are not unified. The solution is found in the leadership approach, and this decision on leadership style will be as important as choosing the best approach that provides for a successful outcome.
While this is a grey area, I believe the situational approach to leadership would be the best method that produces the desired outcome as it is both directive and supportive (Northouse, 2013). The fact is that we need someone to fill the void and restore confidence by giving the nation direction with regards to our solution for Ebola, however at the same time, we also need to bring the medical community together, which his no easy task. To accomplish this Mr. Klain will need to support the various medical approaches, if only for the sole purpose of stroking egos as a means to build consensus and unify support. One of the attributes of the situation approach is that it requires leadership to adapt to each individual, and in this case, each organization, as a means to bridge the various understandings and skills necessary to work through conflict and disagreement. Since it is clear that we have a medical community in disarray (with regards to Ebola) and that we are not aligned on a political scale, Mr. Klain will need to adapt his approach to the people, organizations, and situations as they appear, and then utilize his authority to be directive when necessary.
It’s likely that other leadership methods might work, with some having the possibility to produce better results. The challenge facing Ron Klain is that this is a crisis that requires a rapid response, meaning that we simply don’t have time to test unproven methods. We need a decisive method coming from a single voice to restore confidence that we have this under control. In that regard, the straightforwardness of the situational approach aligns well as it is a proven method that allows us to quickly recover and take action.
References
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership theory and practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.