Leadership and Management Framework: What You Need to Know

The Leadership Framework is a set of principles that define what managers should know and should do. It incorporates essential practices for managers at all levels, from front-line managers to middle managers and executives. This framework is designed to approach leadership holistically at the individual, team and organizational levels. The World Health Organization (WHO) and Global Alliance of Health Workers have developed the Laboratory Leadership Competency Framework to describe the essential competencies needed for laboratory leaders to create sustainable national laboratory systems that improve disease detection, control and prevention efforts in health systems around the world.

This framework provides a set of principles and tools that managers and teams can quickly use to address day-to-day challenges. Management Sciences for Health has also highlighted practices that enable boards that govern organizations to meet challenges and achieve results. Successful organizations understand that it is not enough for managers to simply tell their teams what to do; they must also show them how to do it and empower them to innovate. Automattic CEO and founder of WordPress, Matt Mullenweg, believes this is a good strategy for even the busiest managers.

My own experience as a consultant and an athlete has taught me that keeping things simple is key to successful leadership. Providing good feedback to achieve individual and organizational results is the most important thing a manager can do. With so many resources available that focus on management and leadership strategies, it can be overwhelming to find a good starting point. The HRH Global Resource Center is a knowledge management service of CapacityPlus, a USAID-funded project led by IntraHealth International.

It is clear from news stories that leaders and managers are often failing in their roles. The WHO framework clearly defines the requirements for leadership and sets practical and consistent standards expected of managers. It is important to note that micromanaging team members to focus on isolated and specific activities can be useless and inefficient. However, it is also important that each team member understands what they are responsible for on a general level.

The framework defines leadership and management of health, why it is important to strengthen it, the lessons learned so far, and the main components and uses of the WHO framework. Teamwork in health is defined as two or more people interacting interdependently with a common purpose, working toward measurable goals that benefit from leadership that maintains stability while encouraging honest discussion and problem solving. In such cases, middle- to low-level managers can take tactical steps to ensure their teams clearly understand what needs to be done.