Effective Approaches in Leadership and Management
In this assignment, you will be writing a 1,000-1,250-word essay describing the differing approaches of nursing leaders and managers to issues in practice. To complete this assignment, do the following:
1) Select an issue from the following list: nursing shortage and nurse turn-over, nurse staffing ratios, unit closures and restructuring, use of contract employees (i.e., registry and travel nurses), continuous quality improvement and patient satisfaction, and magnet designation.
2) Compare and contrast how you would expect nursing leaders and managers to approach your selected issue. Support your rationale by using the theories, principles, skills, and roles of the leader versus manager described in your readings.
3) Identify the approach that best fits your personal and professional philosophy of nursing and explain why the approach is suited to your personal leadership style.
4) Use at least two references other than your text and those provided in the course.
Effective Approaches in Leadership and Management
Nursing shortage and Nurse turn-over
In every hospital, nurses have a very significant role in caring for patients in the present healthcare environment. Hospitals are striving to achieve patient satisfaction and considering that nurses interact with patients most of the times, they have a great impact on satisfaction. On the same note, a hospital with experienced, long-term nurses is more likely to offer higher quality care. There is a constant reminder that there are no adequate nurses globally. In the US, this fact is aggravated by the fact that the Baby Boomers generation is aging and there is an increase in the need for health care. Nursing leaders and managers have to look into the issue of nursing shortage and nurse turn-over. According to Fitzpatrick (2003), every healthcare organization requires the contribution of both leaders and managers regardless of the fact that their roles conflict. This paper aims at comparing and contrasting how nursing leaders and managers are likely to approach the issue of nurse turn-over and nursing shortage.
An analysis of the nursing leaders and managers’ approaches
Nurse Managers
Nursing managers mainly facilitate the success of the team members. Their major role is ensuring that the nurses have everything they require so as to be successful and productive. Furthermore, nursing leaders ensure that the nurses under their management have minimal roadblocks, are happy, and well trained to move to the next level (Marquis & Huston, 2009). Managers also recognize the great performers and ensure that nurses learn through their challenges. In a nut shell, nursing managers do not engage on a personal basis with the nurses but ensure they are well provided for to carry out their designated roles.
As opposed to leaders, managers mainly concentrate on work and tasks such as equipment, money, time, and the relevant things for having a task accomplished. Some of the effective managerial features include problem solving, decision making, time management, coordinating, controlling, organizing, budgeting, and planning (Donnelly, 2003). While managers have subordinates, leaders have followers and this has a great influence on nurse turn-over and nursing shortage. Tom Peters observed that the best leaders create more leaders as opposed to followers (Fitzpatrick, 2003).
Managers are task oriented. Regardless of the fact that leadership skills are differentiated from management skills, they are very vital for nursing managers. Managers should possess skills related to people including conducting staff meetings, interviewing new employees, as well as communicating effectively with all team members. Financial skills are essential in every organization and nurse managers should be able to support patient care using the available resources (Marquis & Huston, 2009). On the same note, nurse mangers should possess quality care skills which entail comprehending the collection, analysis, and interpretation of quality data. This data should be used for driving performance improvement. They also require information technology skills so as to be able to conform to current technologies.
Nurse Leaders
On the contrary, nursing leaders possess unique talents and are able to think and act creatively. Leaders think outside the box and they always have great ideas. The Educational Business Articles (EBA) argue the main focus of leaders is to ensure that tasks are achieved through promoting and maintaining an inspired, empowered, and motivated team. Ross, Wenzel and Mitlyng (2002) assert that nursing leaders are likely to use efficient leadership features including mentoring, coaching, listening, building relationship, teamwork, persuasion, inspiration, motivation, and vision. There is a less likelihood of nurses leaving an institution in cases where they are dealing with nurse leaders. Nursing leaders work hand in hand with other nurses such that they have many followers. On the same note, they aim at creating other leaders from the team who are in charge of overseeing different roles. In case the nurses in a leader’s team are experiencing a challenge, this is solved through communication (Donnelly, 2003). Leaders also promote feedback mechanisms so as to be able to gather the nurses’ views and opinions on various issues. This gives the nurses the impression that they are considered as vital components of the healthcare team.
Based on the strengths they possess, nursing leaders constantly allow more leaders to emerge from the group. However, leaders are aware that leadership should and can be situational, which depends entirely on the team’s needs; a new coaching style, visionary, a person to lead the way, or a kick (Ross, Wenzel & Mitlyng, 2002). Great leaders choose the leadership style similar to a golfer, with calculated analysis of the present situation, the best tool to be used on the job, and the end goal.
In her nursing theory, Florence Nightingale argued that nurses should focus on paving the strategies through which the right thing can be done always as opposed to doing the right thing alone (Ross, Wenzel & Mitlyng, 2002). In this regard, nurse leaders have a role to ensure that an organization progresses and grows. They promote forward movement in that nurses are motivated to higher skill levels and ranks. Leaders also encourage, enable, inspire, and are role models (Donnelly, 2003). True leaders do not allow conflicts and personal goals to influence the organization’s goals.
Leaders are responsible for establishing strategy, vision, and direction; aligning fellow nurses around the vision through effective communication; support the vision to make it a reality; inspire and motivate; and overcome resource, bureaucratic, and political barriers to promote change. Leaders have to conform to the 5C’s of leadership; confidence, compassion, connectedness, commitment, and character (Fitzpatrick, 2003). Nurses leaders communicate to the team verbally, non-verbally, and through written means.
The best approach
I support the nursing leader’s approach as it blends with my professional and personal nursing philosophy as well as my personal leadership style. Nursing leaders consider nursing to be a calling as well as an honorable career. Their main goal is assisting those in need and they do not consider their work as a job that only earns a paycheck. In the midst of nursing shortage and nurse-turn over, nursing leaders persuade the existing nurses to remain motivated and deliver their best (Donnelly, 2003). Moreover, they call out to fellow nurses to provide non-judgmental care irrespective of the disability, financial status, lifestyle choices, spiritual beliefs, and race of the clients.
The nursing leader’s approach supports the leadership style that I support; the transformational leadership. A nursing leader is able to mobilize the team so that they arrive at a common vision and attain the end goals. A nurse leader always ensures that he is walking together with the team particularly when an institution is experiencing cases of nurse turn-over and nursing shortage (Marquis & Huston, 2009). Considering that the existing nurses are required to carry out extra roles, the support from a nurse leader is very vital. Transformational leaders inspire vibrant enthusiasm to ensure that the mission is achieved.
References
Donnelly, G. F. (2003). How leadership works: Myths and theories. Five keys to successful nursing management. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins.
Fitzpatrick, M.A. (2003). Getting your team together. Five keys to successful nursing management. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins.
Marquis, B. L., & Huston, C. J. (2009). Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: Theory and application (6th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins.
Ross, A., Wenzel, F. J., & Mitlyng, J. W. (2002). Leadership for the future: Core competencies in healthcare. Chicago: Health Administration Press.