Nursing Leadership And Management Editing Services

Part A: Leadership approaches

Description of the leadership approach

The contemporary nursing practice has become challenging and dynamic making it necessary healthcare organizations to have nurses who are both role models and able to inspire their subordinates, positively impact healthcare, advocate for the nursing profession and develop nursing care. Leadership is, therefore, an important component of the nursing practice. Although it is believed to be a challenge, identifying and developing nurse leaders is one of the major areas of focus for modern day Healthcare organizations. Leadership in the nursing practice is concerned with influencing people’s feelings, organizational behaviours, beliefs and attitudes. Leadership is an important skill for nurses irrespective of the position they occupy within their organization. These include those with managerial positions and those occupying lower positions. It enables leaders to display a level of confidence and be able to offer leadership to health assistants, students and other colleagues. Nurse leaders need qualities such as mentorship ability, respect, professional socialization, communication skills, critical thinking skills, integrity and emotional intelligence. Nursing leadership aims at both influencing the nursing practice, and health policy can be influenced. Through their understanding of various issues touching on the nursing practice, nursing leaders play a great role in aiding nursing knowledge development. Nurse leaders use various approaches in playing their leadership roles. This report will focus on the transformational leadership approach.

Transformational leadership Approach

You will describe ONE leadership approach that Registered Nurses can employ

Transformational leadership approach is one of the approaches that nurses can use.Transformational leadership is a model of leadership that leads to changes in social systems and individuals. It is centered on making followers into leaders by instilling positive and valuable change in them(Langston.edu, 2018). 

Description of the leadership approach about the literature

Identify the leadership approach you are going to focus upon from the current literature.

Over-management and inadequate leadership for nurses were common practices traditionally. The modern healthcare workplaces, however, provide unrivalled opportunities and challenges, necessitating the need for flexible and adaptive leadership. Transformative leadership approach is the best approach that meets the needs of the modern workplace (Doody and Doody, 2012).The model advocates for shared responsibility and creation of a new way of knowing. Transformational leaders appeal to moral values and higher ideas that make their followers act in a way thatthey can sustain the common good by promoting collective interests rather than personal interests. It facilitates the creation of a supportive work environment where individuals share responsibilities (Doody and Doody, 2012).

A transformational leader is an individual who can influence subordinates to rise above their interests, enhance their commitment to the values and mission of their organization and advocate for and promote the interests of subordinates(Lavoie?Tremblay et al., 2016). Transformational leadership has remained to be the widely studied and most used leadership approach (Day and Antonakis, 2013). Individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation and idealized influence are considered to be the main elements of transformational leadership. The idealized influence element enables leaders to win respect and trust of their followers in which the followers perceive them as role models (Northouse, 2017). Secondly, Inspirational motivation enables transformational leaders to lead their followers towards the realization of individual and organizational goals and objectives. Thirdly, intellectual stimulation enables Nurse Leaders to transform their followers into continuous learners and innovators. Finally, through individualized consideration, nurse leaders offer specialized feedback for individuals, support and help them to become high performers in their respective duties (Riahi, 2011). Researchers have linked transformational leadership to several outcomes in the nursing practice. (Chummings et al., 2012) Argued that the use of transformational leadership by nurse managers increases patient satisfaction, improves nurses retention rates, productivity and job satisfaction. This argument is supported by (Weberg, 2010) who found out transformational leadership practice to be linked to a reduction of factors such as work stress, ill-health and exhaustion among nurses. He also found the leadership model to be linked to increased job satisfaction for nurses.

Describe its key characteristics/features concerning the literature.

Transformational leaders distinguish themselves from other leaders through special characteristics that they possess. Their focus is facilitating an environment where people raise each other to higher morality and motivation levels.

Transformational leaders inspire others to act

Transformational leaders do not perceive their subordinates as a potential threat. They are comfortable making them future leaders by involving them in the decision making process. They prepare their subordinates to become future leaders through empowerment and delegation(Doody and Doody, 2012). Transformational leaders use participatory approaches to arrive at decisions. They tend to be good listeners and strive to empower their subordinates

Transformational leaders inspire a shared vision in their organization

Transformational leaders are individuals with the ability to create goals and inspire vision in their organization. This is one of the primary characteristics of transformational leaders. They create a new vision for their organization and communicate it throughout the organization. Transformational leaders use non-verbal expressions, adopt a positive communication style and the use of persuasive language in fostering a new vision and ensuring that the vision is shared by everyone in the organization(Chummings et al., 2012)

Transformational leaders createthe wayfor others to follow

They model the way for their subordinates by acting as role models. They are leaders who win the trust and respect of their subordinates and for that reason; their subordinates emulate their actions, behaviours and ideals(Weberg, 2010). Transnational nurse leaders use their actions to demonstrate a commitment to their organization. In this way, they establish a conducive place to work and help their organizations to transition through change successfully

Adaptability

Transactional Nurse Leaders are people who are willing to adapt to the constant changes in modern-day healthcare organizations. They are open-minded and constantly seeking to acquire new knowledge in their nursing practice.

They encourage the heart of their subordinates

Transformational leaders stimulate their subordinates emotionally and intellectually. They make the work of their subordinates more fascinating, challenging, motivating and stimulating. They, therefore, improve the competence and engagement of their subordinates in their nursing careers(Day and Antonakis, 2013).

Transformational leaders challengestatusquo

Unlike other types of leaders, Transformational leaders are not afraid of challenging the status quo. They are by nature people who challenge the status quo often(Kim and Mauborgne, 2017). They act as change agents for their organizations, create an organizational vision and inspire others toward the realization of the vision.

Reflection on each of the following questions about your selected leadership approach

Discuss and evaluate the leadership approach and how it may impact upon, ALL the following:

Nurses Communication and documentation

Transformational leadership focuses on creating a healthy workplace characterised by positive relationships. It influences nurse’s communication positively by enabling them to be more positive in their communication, enabling them to use persuasive language and making them able to use nonverbal cues appropriately. It also enables an improvement of the quality of nursing documentation(Kvist et al.,2013)

Professional relationships

Transformational leaders advocate for relationships founded on trust and respect. They root for respect for diversity and individual differences among their subordinates. They promote positive relationships by being professional in their dealing with a subordinate and using a consultative approach where all subordinates are equally involved in decision making. Transformational leadership therefore promotes and enhances professional relationships.

Conflict management and resolution

Through the use of a participatory process and involvement of subordinates in decision-making processes and arriving at a consensus. They may, therefore, prevent conflicts from escalating. They establish an atmosphere where there is inclusivity and where everyone has the right to be heard. In this way, they enable conflicts to be managed and promote speedy resolution of conflicts.

Delegation of care

Transformational leadership focuses on creating a new crop of leaders within the organizations. Through empowerment and involvement of subordinates in decision-making processes, transactional leaders improve the competences of subordinates hence promote delegation of care. Through their influence, a delegation of care becomes a normal organizational practice

Scope of practice

By establishing a personal relationship with nurses, transformational leaders facilitate a clear definition of the scope of practice. It makes it possible for individual nurses to become more effective in their nursing practice by understanding what they are required to do when they are required to do it, where they are required to do it and how they are required to do it(Curtis, de Vries and Sheerin, 2011). It makes them aware of what is permitted and what is not as required by the terms spelt under their professional license.

How does the leadership approach contribute to the practice of quality health care?

Transformational leadership contributes to the quality of healthcare in multiple ways. By developing the individual capabilities of their subordinates through mentorship, delegation and involvement in decision-making processes, they develop autonomy in their subordinates(Ross et al.,2014). By being autonomous employees can make informed decisions hence improving the quality of healthcare. Secondly, by using consultative and participatory approaches, they create a sense of belonging among their subordinates hence developing personal accountability in them. Thirdly, Transformational leadership creates cooperation by creating an atmosphere where individual; differences are celebrated and where consultations are highly encouraged(Fischer, 2016). Fourthly, transformational leadership shifts focus from the organization to individuals within the organization. Through this, a sense of trust between nurse leaders and their subordinates is established. By advocating for collaboration and consultations at the workplace transformational leadership enhances the sharing of knowledge among subordinates and between subordinates and their leaders. Finally, it leads to the creation of effective communication mechanisms and management of healthcare workplace risks. All these collectively contribute to the practice of quality healthcare(Weng et al.,2015).

Does it offer opportunities for graduate nurses to develop leadership skills (at an appropriate level for their experience)?

Transformational leadership draws its inspiration on creating a workplace where all subordinates are equally competent as their leader. It, therefore, presents an opportunity for graduate nurses to business development their skills. Since transformational leaders interact and give equal attention to all their subordinates’ irrespective of their levels, graduate nurses will get an opportunity to learn the essentials of their nesting practice form their leaders(Hutchinson and Jackson, 2013). They will also be freer to ask questions and seek mentorship from their leaders. Finally, because transformational leaders act as role models for their subordinates, graduate leaders have an opportunity to emulate best ideals that will enable them to become better in their professional journey.

Part B: Critical evaluation of knowledge and skills and the development of an early career plan

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability of an individual to recognize and manage their emotions and emotions of other individuals. It creates awareness that behaviour is driven by emotions and can have a negative or positive impact on people, especially in stressful situations. Emotional intelligence also involves learning how to manage emotions in dealing with others. Emotional intelligence is founded on three skills including the ability to manage own emotions, ability to apply emotions in solving problems and emotional awareness. Emotional intelligence enables people to control their feelings(Beauvais et al.,2014)

Emotional intelligence has enabled me to understand that as a professional nurse I will be required to understand and manage my emotions as well as those of others(Por et al.,2011). Through this understanding, I will be able to relate with colleagues and clients professionally irrespective of the prevailing stress factors. It has also instilled in me an understanding that how I feel is not the only thing that matter. I should, therefore, create a balance between my emotions and those of others to ensure that I do not affect them negatively.

As a professional nurse, I will be required to solve emerging problems in the workplace. Emotional intelligence has influenced me positively by enabling me to understand that I can effectively use my thinking skills to solve workplace problems. Emotional intelligence has enabled me to learn that effective problem solving requires an understanding of my emotions, the emotions of others and how the lack of this understanding can negatively affect the effective resolution of problems(Landa and López-Zafra, 2010).

It has also enabled me to understand that as a professional nurse I need to play an active role regulating buildup of tension at the workplace by calming down my colleagues and cheering them up in time of crisis to prevent workplace crises from escalating. With the fact that nursing practice is based on meeting specific goals, emotional intelligence plays an important in enhancing workplace success. To be successful as a professional nurse, I will, therefore, be required to apply emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence will also be important in enabling me to get along well with others and enhancing my ability to communicate well with others.

For emotional intelligence to be effective, it must start with me as a professional nurse. By having a self-awareness, I will be able to understand my needs as a professional nurse. This understanding will enable me to react appropriately to different situations arising at the workplace. It will also make it possible for me to identify the most viable options to resolve any emergent issues(Por et al.,2011). Understanding my individual needs will enable me to enhance the well being of others. It has also enabled me to understand how it should operate n an emotional level. Effective emotional intelligence will enable me to create and maintain an effective workplace and distinguish me from other nurse leaders.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Transformational leadership is a widely sued leadership approach in the contemporary healthcare organizations. With the constant changes in modern healthcare practice, nurse leaders need to be more flexible to satisfy the needs of their organizations. Transformational leadership approach is the approach that is used to meet these needs. The model focuses on creating changes to social systems and individuals. It is centered on making followers into leaders by instilling positive and valuable change in them. Transformational leaders possess certain attributes that differentiate them from other leaders. They are adaptable to changing organizational circumstances; they inspire vision among their subordinates, they encourage the hearts of their followers, challenge status quo, act as role models and inspire a shared vision in their organization. Transformational leadership impacts the quality of health care by creating autonomy among subordinates, offering learning opportunities, enhancing professional relationships, and clearly defines the scope of Practice. Also, a delegation of healthcare improves the personal capabilities of subordinates. It also enhances the management and resolution of workplace conflicts.

References

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