In: Nursing
What are leadership styles listed in effective leadership and management in nursing with reference page 8th edition
Leadership styles listed in effective leadership and management in nursing
In the nursing profession, a nurse manager's personal style of leadership impacts multiple aspects of a healthcare facility's operations and can have far-reaching implications.A manager's personal style of leadership has a significant impact on important workplace aspects such as employee attrition, turnover rates, morale, feedback, teamwork and productivity. Nursing leadership styles also influence the perception of of patient care .
Autocratic Leadership
The autocratic style of leadership typically involves a leader or
nurse manager who makes all pertinent decisions, gives specific
orders, and issues directives to subordinate employees who must
obey under watchful supervision. Autocratic leaders strongly
discourage workers from questioning the validity of any directives.
The autocratic style of leadership is appropriate for workplaces
such as jails, prisons, the military, and highly structured
settings with routinized operations because, in these places, the
lives of masses of people completely hinge on workers following
very specific orders step by step. In addition, this leadership
style is favorable for the completion of simple tasks.
Democratic Leadership
The democratic leadership style facilitates enhanced
participation from subordinate employees in the organization's
decision-making process. Even though the democratic leader has the
final say, he / she gathers information, ideas and feedback from
staff prior to finalizing the very decisions that will affect them.
This is a highly effective style of leadership since employees are
more likely to put forth outstanding effort when they feel valued.
Workers feel valued when their input is an integral part of an
organization's decision-making process. Democratic leadership
thrives in healthcare settings due to the varied skill sets and
educational backgrounds of employees. Conversely, this leadership
style does have drawbacks. For instance, soliciting everyone's
input is time-consuming. Moreover, the aggressive staff members
always provide feedback while the timid employees may never get the
chance to make suggestions or offer input.
Visionary Leadership
The visionary style of leadership involves a charismatic leader
who motivates people to pursue a common vision by providing
guidance on where to go and what to do without the autocratic
step-by-step directions on how to get there. This leadership style
pushes employees to action by encouraging them to take strides
toward the overall goals of the organization. The typical visionary
leader exhanges information freely to arm subordinates with the
knowledge they will need to succeed. The visionary style works
ideally when the healthcare facility is in need of a new
direction.
Transactional Leadership
Transactional leadership is a method of leading in which, through
routine transactions such as rewards and punishments, tasks are
completed. It is based on transactions conducted between the nurse
manager and subordinate staff because it is grounded on the theory
that workers are motivated solely by rewards and discipline. A
transactional leader normally does not look to the future in
managing an organization; rather, these managers are simply focused
on ensuring that everything operates well today. The focal points
of transactional leadership include an authoritatian leader who
rewards compliant staff with pay increases and punishes with
progressive discipline.
Transformational Leadership
Transformational leadership focuses on encouraging staff members to
do their very best work by way of example through the sheer
influence of the nurse leader's optimistic personality. This style
of leadership operates on the idea that employees receive
motivation to perform well through positive, rather than negative,
incentives. The main traits of transformational leadership include
an inspiring nurse leader who encourages team building, creativity
and innovation to transform the staff to accomplish the goals of
the organization. This style works well because it instills
self-motivation. Self-motivated employees will want to do their
jobs without the lure of rewards or the force of discipline.
However, this leadership style can flop miserably if the nurse
manager lacks the personality traits or energy to bring out the
best in employees.
Laissez-Faire Leadership
Laissez-Faire leadership is a hands-off style of leading that
allows employees the freedom to work on their own with little or no
guidance. These nurse leaders give minimal direction and permit
subordinate employees to have virtually unlimited leeway to do what
they want. Authority is invested in the employees and they are
responsible for formulating their own decisions, devising their own
goals and resolving any problems that might arise. Laissez-Faire
leadership is effective when leading a staff of motivated,
well-educated, highly skilled, self-directed employees who have
many years of experience. A truly effective Laissez-Faire leader
will offer feedback and input as needed. This leadership style must
not be utilized with unmotivated workers, employees who lack time
management, and new grads or novices who are unskilled and
inexperienced.