Leader-Member Exchange Theory: Nursing Leadership Analysis

Introduction Nursing leadership is complex because it involves many different areas: teaching and coaching fellow employees and students, individual learning of necessary skills, and working as an effective health care provider, able to provide quality care for the patients and support for the entire health care team. It is difficult to balance these numerous areas and succeed equally well in all of them, but this essential for good leadership. During one of my clinical experiences, I was able to personally observe the challenge that a new clinical instructor can have when teaching students in a unit where she was currently working. There were many issues involved with the leadership abilities
This differs from other leadership theories, such as the trait approach, skills approach and style approach that focus on the leader’s point of view, and situational leadership, contingency theory and path-goal theory, which focus on followers and the context of the situation. Prior to LMX theory, researchers assumed leaders treated followers in a collective way as a group that did not differ by individual. Early studies of LMX theory, then called vertical dyad linkage (VDL) theory, concentrated on the dynamics of the relationships the leader formed with each of his/her subordinates, or team members (Northouse, 2013). Each of these relationships, called a dyad, is unique and is distinguished by different traits. Two types of relationships were observed to form between leaders and followers: the in-group and the out-group. Whether a follower becomes a part of the in-group or the out-group depends on how well the leader and follower work together, with personality and personal characteristics being related to this process (Northouse, 2013). Those members of the in-group negotiate role responsibilities with the leader and are interested in expanding their obligations beyond their formal job descriptions, and in return they have
For this reason, the role of a strong leader is important to create working relationships defined by mutual respect and support, because the stress and demands of the job demand a unified team effort. It is important to recognize the existence of in- and out-groups so that the leader can cultivate stronger exchanges and relationships with each subordinate.
In the situation described above, the LMX theory would have helped Jane focus on communication and relationships with each of the students, leading to a better experience for the students and strengthening their faith in the value of the nursing team as a support mechanism. Studies of teams that function as in-groups have shown positive organizational outcomes, such as less employee turnover, better job attitudes, faster career progress, greater organizational commitment and more positive employee performance evaluations (Northouse, 2013). Focusing on positive relationships between clinical instructor and students creates nurses who are self-assured and take away from the experience how to successfully lead their own future team. References
Nationwide Children’s Hospital (2012). Fast Facts for the Year Ending 12/31/2011. http://www.nationwidechildrens.org/fast-facts. Accessed February 26, 2013.
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership theory and practice. London: Sage