Nursing Leadership Styles
Leadership Styles in Professional Nursing
Leadership Styles in Professional Nursing
Introduction
Leaders are not merely those who control others, but act as visionaries who help employees to plan, lead, control, and organize their activities. As states by (Hood, Leddy, & Pepper, 2006), “leadership is a complex term with multiple definitions but is normally defined as a process of influencing others or guiding or directing others to attain mutually agreed upon goals” (as cited by Agnes, 2005). There are several recognized leadership styles such as bureaucratic — where the leader rigidly follows rules, policies, and regulation; or participative — where the leader allows the staff to participate in decision making and seek the participation of those involved. Our discussion will revolve around two forms of nursing leadership patterns, mainly transformational and transactional styles of leadership. Transformational leaders use the feminine approach and “inspire and empower everyone with the vision of what could be possible” (Hood, 2006 as cited in Burns 2003); whereas, transactional leaders use the masculine approach and “maintain daily operations using rewards to motivate subordinates” (Hood, 2006 as cited in Burns 2003).
Review of the Professional Nursing Literature Leadership styles in nursing can be evaluated by understanding the relationship between management, planning, and structure of the organization. The leadership skills and abilities of the nurse manager are critical to the contribution of the smooth operation of inpatient units and acute care hospitals. Thus, the manager’s leadership implementation style can have significant impact on work environment and organizational commitments. If the nurse manager can positively influence the work environment and foster the staff’s organizational commitment, the leader will stimulate greater achievement at the unit level while enhancing the organization’s competitive advantage (McGuire & Kennerly,
Leadership Styles in Professional Nursing
Introduction
Leaders are not merely those who control others, but act as visionaries who help employees to plan, lead, control, and organize their activities. As states by (Hood, Leddy, & Pepper, 2006), “leadership is a complex term with multiple definitions but is normally defined as a process of influencing others or guiding or directing others to attain mutually agreed upon goals” (as cited by Agnes, 2005). There are several recognized leadership styles such as bureaucratic — where the leader rigidly follows rules, policies, and regulation; or participative — where the leader allows the staff to participate in decision making and seek the participation of those involved. Our discussion will revolve around two forms of nursing leadership patterns, mainly transformational and transactional styles of leadership. Transformational leaders use the feminine approach and “inspire and empower everyone with the vision of what could be possible” (Hood, 2006 as cited in Burns 2003); whereas, transactional leaders use the masculine approach and “maintain daily operations using rewards to motivate subordinates” (Hood, 2006 as cited in Burns 2003).
Review of the Professional Nursing Literature Leadership styles in nursing can be evaluated by understanding the relationship between management, planning, and structure of the organization. The leadership skills and abilities of the nurse manager are critical to the contribution of the smooth operation of inpatient units and acute care hospitals. Thus, the manager’s leadership implementation style can have significant impact on work environment and organizational commitments. If the nurse manager can positively influence the work environment and foster the staff’s organizational commitment, the leader will stimulate greater achievement at the unit level while enhancing the organization’s competitive advantage (McGuire & Kennerly,
References: Hood, L. J., Leddy, S., & Pepper, J. M. (2006). Leddy & Pepper’s Conceptual Bases of Professional Nursing. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. McGuire, E., & Kennerly, S. (2006). Nursing Economics. Nurse Managers as Transformational and Transactional Leaders, 24(4), 179-186. Thyer, G. (2003). Journal of Nursing Management. Dare to be Different: Transformational Leadership May Hold the Key to reducing the Nursing Shortage, 11(2), 73-79. Tomey, A. (2009). Journal of Nursing Management. Nursing Leadership and Management Effects work environments, 17(1), 12-25.doi:10.1111/j.1365-2834.2008.00963.x.