Discussion 1: Leadership Theories in Practice

A walk through the Business section of any bookstore or a quick Internet search on the topic will reveal a seemingly endless supply of writings on leadership. Formal research literature is also teeming with volumes on the subject.

However, your own observation and experiences may suggest these theories are not always so easily found in practice. Not that the potential isn’t there; current evidence suggests that leadership factors such as emotional intelligence and transformational leadership behaviors, for example, can be highly effective for leading nurses and organizations.

Yet, how well are these theories put to practice? In this Discussion, you will examine formal leadership theories. You will compare these theories to behaviors you have observed firsthand and discuss their effectiveness in impacting your organization.

To Prepare:

• Review the Resources and examine the leadership theories and behaviors introduced.
• Identify two to three scholarly resources, in addition to this Module’s readings, that evaluate the impact of leadership behaviors in creating healthy work environments.
• Reflect on the leadership behaviors  presented in the three resources that you selected for review.

By Day 3 of Week 4

Post two key insights you had from the scholarly resources you selected. Describe a leader whom you have seen use such behaviors and skills, or a situation where you have seen these behaviors and skills used in practice. Be specific and provide examples. Then, explain to what extent these skills were effective and how their practice impacted the workplace.

By Day 6 of Week 4

Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days by explaining how the leadership skills they described may impact your organization or your personal leadership, or by identifying challenges you see in applying the skills described.

student one: Nursing Leadership

Introduction

Situational leadership and transformational leadership are among the most common leadership approaches in the modern nursing environment. These two leadership styles differ in the types of traits that the leaders exhibit, their approaches to delegation, their use of authority, and other aspects of management, mentorship, and administration.

Comparison of Transformational and Situational Leadership

Transformational leadership involves meeting the needs of workers and supporting them to maximize their potential and increase the overall productivity of a team. Transformational leaders tend to interact more extensively and directly with their subordinates. They seek to establish positive and close relationships with their followers, which helps them to identify the needs and preferences of the individuals with whom they work (Masood & Afsar, 2017). Transformational leaders also tend to be more involved in routine work activities, rather than merely directing others (Fischer, 2017). However, this does not mean that transformational leaders do not delegate. In fact, transformational leaders typically empower workers by according them more responsibilities and giving them opportunities to grow and improve their own competencies (Fischer, 2017).

Situational leadership is different from transformational leadership in the sense that leaders who use this approach tend to be more adaptable to different scenarios. Situational leadership recognizes the dynamicity of work environments in healthcare, and it aims to equip managers and leaders with the ability to mold their approaches to suit the prevailing circumstances (Hill, 2017). For example, a leader who uses the situational approach may opt to delegate a task or undertake it personally depending on the current need. Situational leadership addresses some of the shortcomings of purely transformational leadership. For example, a transformational leader may have a harder time directing workers in circumstances that require unquestioning conformity. The low power distance that is inherent in transformational leadership makes it harder to implement quick and exact directions unto one’s followers, which is often necessary in emergency situations (Masood & Afsar, 2017). Situational leadership addresses this issue by enabling leaders to enforce soft or hard power depending on the circumstance, thus promoting positive outcomes in most scenarios.

Transformational leadership and situational leadership also differ in the kinds of traits that they require from and instill in leaders. Because of their tendency to build and maintain relationships with workers, transformational leaders tend to be adept at intuition, emotional intelligence, empathy, and introspection (Masood & Afsar, 2017). In comparison, situational leaders tend to be quick, critical, and dynamic thinkers who can identify and contextualize problems rapidly and determine the ideal approach for resolving the issues that they encounter (Lynch, 2015). Transformational leaders may be more willing to consult with their subordinates compared to situational leaders.

One of the best transformational leaders I have encountered in my practice was my first preceptor who mentored me while I was a trainee. She was a very hands-on kind of leader who did not hesitate to demonstrate different techniques to the trainees. She also made a point of establishing close personal relationships with everyone around her. She would always try to know how everyone was doing at home, and she advocated for people to maintain a good balance between their work and personal lives. She also consulted with other practitioners and made decisions that reflected the entire team’s consensus. She was not afraid to delegate tasks to other workers. In fact, I learned a lot about teamwork because the leader would often assign us to teams and have us undertake our tasks with minimal interference. Even though she was highly educated and accomplished in her own career, one could never tell that she had such high credentials merely by observing her interactions with subordinates.

Conclusion

Most of the leaders I have worked with tend to use the situational approach. They may delegate tasks in certain circumstances, but they still retain the privilege of making important decisions and directing others to complete specific tasks in some situations. They do not invest as much time in establishing close personal relationships, although they still seek to understand the needs and preferences of the people with whom they work. I personally prefer this approach to leadership because I think it makes me more adaptable and enables me to address various work situations effectively.

References

Fischer, S. A. (2017). Transformational leadership in nursing education: making the case. Nursing science quarterly, 30(2), 124-128. DOI: 10.1177/0894318417693309

Hill, B. (2017). Does leadership style of modern matrons contribute to safer and more effective clinical services? Nursing Management, 24(1), 21-25. DOI: 10.7748/nm.2017.e1488

Lynch, B. (2015). Partnering for performance in situational leadership: a person-centered leadership approach. International Practice Development Journal, 5. DOI: 10.19043/ipdj.5SP.007

Masood, M., & Afsar, B. (2017). Transformational leadership and innovative work behavior among nursing staff. Nursing inquiry, 24(4), e12188. DOI: 10.1111/nin.12188

student two:

Week 4 Initial Discussion Post

In healthcare the style of leadership is the guiding force for workflow and staff/patient satisfaction. The leader of the organization is who sets the tone for the organization. Lack of leadership can lead to decrease in quality of care being rendered. Leaders are not defined by position or title; rather they are characterized by their ability to craft a compelling vision while inspiring others to follow (Laureate Education, 2018-b). Cecelia Wooden in the video file titled Leadership defines leadership style as the behavior you demonstrate in managing an individual’s task and in managing the relationship with the individual (Laureate Education, 2014-a). These two definitions or visions of what a leader is and their responsibility to the organization may be viewed differently but the both have the leader as the inspiration behind staff’s ability to provide the care needed.

Throughout my years of experience in Healthcare I have come across some of the best and worst leaders. The worst leaders in my opinion cannot be termed a leader more viewed as a manger. They had no real vision, mission or way to inspire those who were under them. Where I am currently employed I can honestly say that my direct supervisor is a leader. She is a leader because she does not follow just one style of leadership. To describe her I would say she is a mix of transactional and transformational. She possesses the transformational characteristics such as being inspirational and providing intellectual stimulation while focusing on the satisfaction and creativity of her staff (Alloubani, 2019). She is transactional because she sets goals for the nursing staff and expects those tasks to be completed in an independent way.

The overall leadership style that I feel described her the most that includes the above and so much more would be the coaching behavioral style. For example, at any giving time she will step in and work along side us as nurses, giving us the freedom to make decisions and learn our responsibilities with the confidence that she is there for guidance. We have recently had an influx of new hires and it has put a strain on those of us who are fully trained. She has stepped in and trained right alongside us to not only ease the burden but to see what we see and give support. The coaching style encourages better performance, allows engagement with collective goals and provides ways for staff to take collective responsibility for performance (Tanskanen, 2019). My supervisor changed the overall morale of the staff and made it worth working in public health and she has only been the active supervisor for six months.

Alloubani, A., Akhu-Zaheya, L., Ibrahim, M. A., & Almatari, M. (2019). Leadership styles’ influence on the quality of nursing care. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 32(6), 1022-1033. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1108/I…

Laureate Education (Producer). (2014-a). Leadership [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018-b). The Leader in You [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Tanskanen, J., Mäkelä, L., & Viitala, R. (2019). Linking managerial coaching and Leader–Member exchange on work engagement and performance. Journal of Happiness Studies, 20(4), 1217-1240. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1007/s…