Walden NURS 6053 Week 4 Assignment Leadership Theories in Practice
Walden NURS 6053 Week 4 Assignment Leadership Theories in Practice
There is no doubt that the healthcare system is ever-changing and fast-paced in today’s world. Healthcare professionals require strong leadership to be able to lead and guide their employees effectively, and decisions made at the top are likely to have a profound impact on entire populations if not handled correctly. A great healthcare leader inspires their staff, boosts their morale, and helps them improve their quality of life at work. Leaders in the healthcare industry must be competent to be successful. Leadership is not something that just anyone can do. Implementing change requires a strong leadership team with strong management skills (Marquis & Huston, 2017). There is no doubt that the behavior of leaders has a significant impact on an organization’s overall success (Yang & Wei, 2018).
Leadership requires the creation of plans for how the team or organization will succeed, which is dynamic, exciting, and inspiring (MindTool, n.d.). It is essential for leaders to handle situations individually, which means diagnosing the condition and the individual they are leading and tailoring their leadership styles to meet the needs of everyone (Laureate Education, 2014). Leaders cannot be everything to everyone, and those capable of doing so must also be competent. The first principle that is recognized among the theories that are widely accepted today is that leaders need to have some moral code or values that positively guide their actions and behavior. Whenever leaders do not carry the trust and best interests of those they stand for, no matter how brilliant the strategy or how productive the actions they take, leadership is impossible” (Marshall & Broome, 2017).
Since I have been a nurse leader for most of my career, I identify with the Transformation Leader style. It has also been my experience to work with managers who are transformational leaders. Transformational leadership is often compared with transactional leadership. Different leadership styles may be required (Asamani et al., 2022). Self-motivated individuals who work well in a structured, directed environment are essential to transactional leadership. Rather than directing workers, transformational leadership motivates and inspires them. On the other hand, the transactional leader values order and structure. They will likely command military operations, manage large corporations, or lead international projects that require rules and regulations to accomplish objectives on time or systematically move people and supplies. Transactional leaders are not suited for organizations that value creativity and innovation (Michigan State University, 2014).
As a nurse leader for most of my 25 years of nursing, I identify most with the transformational leadership style. The transformational leadership style dominates my workplace. For instance, my immediate supervisor uses a transformational leadership style. She is a lovely person who works well with others. As part of the company’s culture, she believes teamwork is essential. She is always on top of things and ensures her staff is cared for. To the best of my knowledge, she has been able to motivate and encourage her team exceptionally well. An example of both styles is my workplace is my home manager, she is stricter who ensures that all tasks are completed correctly and on time in my organization. Despite not punishing us, she provides us with positive reinforcement by rewarding her team for a well-done job. Her friendly and pleasant disposition is responsible for her uncanny ability to accomplish much. Many of her abilities are impressive, and I can see why she is so well-liked by her team.
In my research of leadership styles, I discovered that transformational leaders are known for being positive role models, providing support for employees, being honest and ethical, and being effective communicators. Being a positive role model and communicating effectively are the traits that most identify with. In any profession, especially nursing, a positive role model is essential as a leader. An individual can be inspired to be better, do better, and reach higher by following a positive role model. Effective communication is essential in any relationship. Communicating clear expectations and goals can eliminate trust issues between leaders and employ.
The most common and well-received leadership styles are transformational leadership and transactional leadership. Leaders are necessary for the workplace as a guide and mentors for their staff. They ensure that an organization is efficient and achieves its goals. For an organization to achieve its mission, influential leaders provide clarity of purpose and motivate and guide the organization.
References:
Asamani, J. A., Naab, F., & Ofei, A. M. A. (2022, April 26). Leadership styles in nursing management: Implications for staff outcomes. Journal of Health Sciences. Retrieved September 19, 2022, from https://www.jhsci.ba/ojs/index.php/jhsci/article/view/533
Marshall, E., & Broome, M. (2017). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.
Marquis, N. L., & Huston, C.J. (2017). Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: Theory and application (9th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.
Michiganstateuniversityonline.com. (2014, November 25). Retrieved September 19, 2022, from https://www.michiganstateuniversityonline.com/resources/leadership/transactional-vs-transformational-leadership/
Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2014). Leadership [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Yang, qi, & Wei, hua. (2018). The impact of ethical leadership on Organizational Citizenship Behavior: The moderating role of workplace ostracism. Leadership & Organization Development Journal. Retrieved September 19, 2022, from https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/LODJ-12-2016-0313/full/html
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.
You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.
Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.
Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.
The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.
