1. Introduction

In addition, a positive social climate can significantly affect the medical treatment patients receive. Studies have shown that a better social climate in a healthcare facility can lead to more comprehensive standards in approving medical practices and reduced diagnostic risk. A quality social climate can foster improvement in patient care quality and help restore the art of healing. Given that leadership has a profound impact on the healthcare landscape, current and aspiring healthcare leaders need to understand the basics of good leadership in the field and the importance of cultivating those skills well.A healthcare organization with proper leadership in place, especially the front-line kind, can improve the quality of patient care, develop a positive and rewarding work environment, raise clinician morale and job satisfaction, reduce work hours to achieve effective work-life balance, increase collaboration and teamwork to enhance care delivery, reduce clinician turnover and ease staff shortages. With a better social climate in place, healthcare professionals are motivated to reach goals by embracing and aligning individual and organizational values and interests, minimizing unnecessary work conflicts and harmonizing work relationships, enhancing workplace welfare and well-being, and fostering a cooperative and creative work culture for attracting and keeping talent. Last but not least, it also reduces the cost of replacing professionals, loss of work hours, and expenses linked to excessive or futile exercises.In the past few decades, the concept of leadership in healthcare has gained much attention. Many healthcare organizations have shifted their focus from focusing solely on management to focusing more on effective leadership. The two practices have been considered the same for a very long time, but there is a distinct difference between the two. Management in healthcare has been defined as getting work done through people, supervising and directing employees, and executing organizational plans. On the other hand, leadership has been described as an area of influence, a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others towards the achievement of a goal. As such, healthcare professionals need to cultivate leadership skills because they make an impact on their organization’s social climate and productivity levels.

1.1. Importance of Leadership in Healthcare

First and foremost, leadership is very essential for easy operation in any kind of organization. I think healthcare leadership is very important not only for the profit-making in the organization but also has a direct impact on the quality of patient care. Good healthcare requires good clinical and managerial quality, for this to be achieved effective leaders with suitable leadership styles are needed for the public health services and hospitals. Good leadership in health care services will meet the needs of patients and handle their complaints effectively. It will also encourage a customer focus and goal setting within the workforce. As a result, an improvement in communication and more effective teamwork will provide a drive in the organization to deliver better patient care. For this to happen the health sector or industry should emphasize leadership trainings and programs that can help to improve management and leadership expertise. This will increase the potential of health service managers as better leaders. With the changes in systems and business processes, health services leaders should have the capabilities to manage change for the better of the community. Patients deserve to have proper healthcare and quality of life. Therefore, leaders should have a vision and a clear focus on a healthy community. For example, creating more partnerships with community service organizations will engage leaders to work not only for the wellness of the patients in the hospitals but be concerned for the community overall. Such type of healthcare management will lead to positive eating habits and higher well-being of the general public. High-performing health organizations require leaders to provide good direction for organizations in planning for the future. Therefore, healthcare leadership in the 21st century is a project and a noble course that will deserve all the best efforts to sustain and improve patient satisfaction to higher levels. High levels of patient satisfaction will make healthcare organizations more attractive to different customer segments and specific patient populations would tend to use more of its services, thus raising the profitability and potential growth of the organization in the long run.

1.2. Significance of Social Justice in Healthcare

The term social justice is used nowadays in different concepts. To some, the term is allied with human values and the morality of people and their resources. Healthcare is described as the treatment and prevention of diseases. This incorporates the service offered by individuals in the health sector as well as governmental and non-governmental agencies that deal with the promotion of public health. Practicing in the healthcare sector should be based on principles of social justice. According to Pope Francis in December 2014, social justice is a key issue in the field of healthcare. It means that it is necessary to base both the activities and the organization of the healthcare system on the recognition that persons exist in relation to each other as part of a family and broader society. That is, the patients and healthcare providers should be viewed not just as people with ailments or skills, but as part of a broader functioning community. Sandman (2004) argues that social justice change efforts have two main infrastructural focuses. That is, they focus on either identifying and addressing unmet human need or identifying and addressing social inequities. According to Sandman, healthcare is particularly relevant in connection with the two focuses. He points out that social justice in healthcare has to be understood in terms of the fair distribution of common values. First, the practitioners have to recognize the shared moral foundation that brings the provider and those seeking care into cooperation. This calls for careful decision-making both at the individual level and at the administrative level. At the individual level, the healthcare providers have to make decisions on the kind of services and the resources to be allocated to the patient’s needs. On the other hand, administrative officials, working within governments and private organizations, have to make policies and decisions which aim at enhancing the common good. Such kind of decision-making in healthcare can be declined from its full potential in the absence of a meaningful reference to the ends for which it ought to aim. Sandman forecasts a better configurative model of healthcare decision-making embraced with reference to the values of human cooperation, love, and care. Social justice is important in relation to the act of providing healthcare. This is the primary goal of the healthcare providers. Balancing the goals of maximizing profits and satisfying patient’s matters require a critical concern for social justice. It is not only significant to mankind in society but also amongst the healthcare providers and the patients. Social justice creates a climate of equity and fairness, a climate which is equally crucial for the effectiveness of medicine and those employed in its behalf. Jablonski (2013) posits that healthcare providers who work to restore, promote, and maintain the health of patients under the name of justice have to secure the conditions which allow the providers to collectively answer the needs of society.

2. Leadership Skills for Promoting Social Justice

2.1. Effective Communication

2.2. Ethical Decision Making

2.3. Cultural Competence

3. Strategies for Developing a Socially Just Healthcare Culture

3.1. Promoting Diversity and Inclusion

3.2. Addressing Health Disparities

3.3. Advocacy for Vulnerable Populations

4. Incorporating Systems Thinking in Leadership

4.1. Understanding Interdependencies in Healthcare Systems

4.2. Identifying Feedback Loops and Leverage Points

4.3. Applying Systems Thinking to Improve Healthcare Delivery

5. Leadership Development for Improved Healthcare Accessibility

5.1. Training and Education Programs

5.2. Mentoring and Coaching Initiatives

5.3. Collaborative Partnerships for Knowledge Exchange

6. Conclusion