Margaret Russell
November 28, 2012
Grand Canyon University
NRS-451V-O103
Nursing Leadership and Management
An increase in patient acuities, readmissions, and requirement for patient satisfaction among other issues has created a greater need for more registered nurses in the hospital setting. Quality and safe patient care is a direct correlation to the number of staff. With the demand of nurses on the rise, some health care institutions have not readjusted the nurse-patient ratios and the result is decreased patient satisfaction, increased mortality/morbidity in patients, more health care associated infection, and decreased employee satisfaction; leading to burnout and decreased staff retention. (Welton, 2007). Some states have enabled mandatory regulations in order to meet the needs of patients and ensure adequate staffing. Based on the complex needs for more staffing and better budgeting, managers and leaders may have different ideas on the best approach to meet the needs. Leadership and management are both necessary for the success of an organization. While they share the same fundamental characteristics of a type of authority figure, leadership and management can be considered very different. According to Kotter, managers focus on planning, controlling, and creating appropriate structures and systems while leadership is about inspiration, motivation, developing employee credibility, and anticipating and coping with change. (1990). In addition, managers focus on goals out of necessity while leaders focus on making positive changes and create interpersonal relationships. (Marquis and Houston, 2009). According to Warren, the main difference between a leader and manager is their vision. Managers focus on analyzing, solving problems, and planning. A leader’s vision is values, communication, and creating cohesive environments to facilitate success. (2005). Because of their different roles, nursing leaders and managers
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