Leadership and Management in Nursing Free Essay

Healthcare Management Features

 

Nursing is a challenging profession, which requires dynamic role models and inspiring leaders.

Leadership and management in nursing have well-distinguished peculiarities, which are determined by the profession. In general, effective leadership is important for inspiring other people and for creating effective collaboration. It is hard to create a productive, safe and inspiring working surrounding without leadership. In today’s healthcare environment, nurse leaders become one  of the biggest challenges of the profession.

Despite the fac management and leadership may seem to be alike, they have  significant differences. Kottler (2014) defines such differences as:

-Management implies planning and budgeting. Leadership assumes defining the direction of movement and development.

– Management involves organizing people, while leadership implies aligning people.

– Management counts on control and problem-solving. Leadership uses inspiration and motivation, as main methods (Kottler 2014).

Combination of managerial and leadership qualities creates the best combination. As Gardner notes (1993), “First class managers are usually first class leaders. Leaders and leader-managers distinguish themselves beyond run-of-the-mill managers, who turn to routine methods and approaches” (Gardner, 1993, p. 116). Gardner (1993) also defines characteristics, which distinguish effective and spiritual leadership. Leaders have expanded vision. They can think about the possible crisis a long time before it starts. They can see the situation in the perspective and estimate potential risks and dangers in advance..   Good leaders also have the power to see organization as a part of the bigger unite and take into account other factors, which influence the situation. In nursing crisis and different kinds of unexpected situations. Good leader should have the ability to predict such situations and develop and adequate response to them. Broader vision on the situation is an important characteristic of a transformational and ethical leader. This is very important in nursing, since leaders and managers in this profession often become dependent on external factors, such as economy, politics, and legislation, and thus should be able to see major perspective and make necessary conclusions. Leaders reach influence not through legal norms and regulations, but through their personal power and qualities, which make people be willing to follow them.  It is evident that nursing requires effective leadership, since everybody, who works in human service should be able to present a wide range of qualities, which ensures the most effective interaction, and good leaders should be able to provide an effective example of such qualities and such behavioral patterns.  Leaders put the strong accent on values and motivation, recognizing them as basic components of the effective working process. It is needless to say that in nursing values and motivation are of primary importance and become the basic components, which creates meaning for the profession. Good leaders always have plans to improve and renew the existing system. In the world of global changes, nursing also needs change and transformation, and effective leaders should be able to choose the best variants for this change.

Ethical aspect is extremely important in nursing. Some leaders try to increase their power and get more influence over people and resources by any means.  It is important to keep in mind that any unethical means cannot be associated with true leaders, as leaders are generally treated as an example to follow for other people. At this point, any unethical actions have a negative effect not only on a leader himself but also on people who follow him, because they apply the wrong set of behavior while watching those, who are in power.

“Whatever the cause, it is clear that the egregious acts of dishonesty that destroy careers (and in many cases have destroyed entire organizations in their aftermath) have been generally executed by people who hold the most senior roles in their firm” (Zenger 2012).  During the last several years, a series of load accusations touched a lot of people with big financial and political power. For example, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, an outstanding French politician and a former head of the International Monetary Fund was accused of sexual assault (George, 2011). All these examples illustrate how unethical behavior can easily ruing the authority and image of the effective manager and thus ruin all his positive effort and achievement. Ethical issues raised often in nursing. At this point, it is important that the leader in nursing becomes an effective example of ethical and moral behavior.

Sometimes, it is difficult to make a distinction between good leaders and good managers. As Roussel et al. (2016)  point out, “Good leaders, like good managers, provide visionary inspiration, motivation, and direction. Good managers, like good leaders, attract and inspire. People want to be led rather than managed. They want to pursue goals and values they consider worthwhile” (p. 27). At the same time, it is important to keep in mind external factors, which influence nursing. The best-defined goal of good management and good leadership is providing services to the community in the most effective manner. This goal can be achieved only if the best resource, including human resources, are used.

Effective management and leadership are very important for the delivery of good healthcare services.  Good leaders should be able to inspire other people and provide them a right vision of the situation. They should also be able to negotiate for resources and other ways, which support the fulfillment of organizational goals. Managerial skills are necessary to make sure that all existing resources are organized and distributed in the best way. In most situation the manager should also be a leader, to reach effective results. Responsibility and ability to take timely decisions are basic characteristics, which define a good leader and god mangers. In addition, in nursing managers and leaders should be able to find a balance between their clinical and managerial or leadership duties. Good management in nursing also assumes that managers are selected on merit and gain respect from their staff, patients, and supervisors.  They also should have a clear vision and understanding of their tasks and duties.  Supplies and planning make an important aspect of nursing. For effective management, support systems should also function well, providing effective surrounding. Effective regulations include clear regulations and norms. Organization of timely and quality supplies, drugs and equipment is another important part of effective nursing management.  Usually, managers have to spend much time on routine tasks. Effective managers should be able to find the chance to minimize time, spent on routine tasks. They should also look for the chance to share their duties and ask for necessary assistance in the case of necessity.

Management and leadership are closely interconnected. Both managers and leaders should take decisions and take responsibilities. In many cases, managers should take decisions about supplies, finances, and other important questions. Leaders usually have a broader vision and take a decision about general directions and development perspectives. Effective tools and techniques can become an important part of effective work for successful managers. Both leaders and managers should count on both – on people and technology. “Conditions for being an effective manager are best when all important questions have clear and positive answers so that tasks are clear, the delegation of authority is known and managers know where and when to seek support for their decisions. Management also flourishes when the manager and the staff agree about the objectives of the work that they are doing and can make decisions easily and with minimal risks” (Leadership and Management).  Combination of professional skills and individual qualities, as well as the desire to grow and develop potentials, provide the most effective managers.

It is worth to keep in mind that health care service goes through constant change and transformation. Health care professionals should be aware of innovations and general tendencies in order to embrace all positive change and innovation. At this point, managers, who work in this sphere should put effort and learn new skills and abilities, in order to keep up.  Such skills as motivating staff, negotiating with stakeholders and maintaining discipline are important for both – managers and leaders. Different training courses are designed for managers to keep in with the changes. Constant learning can be beneficial not only for managers and leaders but also for the entire organization. Creating effective and supportive surrounding, which inspires learning and self-development is one of the important tasks of effective leaders. Different kinds of motivation can be applied inside of the organizations. Leaders and managers may regularly present tasks and challenges  the organization is facing for the present moment. This way employees will be able to define skills and abilities, which are required for these tasks. As soon as current needs are identified, effective managers and transformational leaders will be able to provide different kinds of opportunities for learning and self-education. These opportunities may include long-run professional courses, short study programs and different kinds of mentorship programs. It is also worth to remember that leaders should always stay an example of professional growth and self-education in order to inspire their people.

Nursing and leadership are based on caring and compassion. When it comes to leadership in nursing, these qualities become even stronger. Leaders not only organize, but also delegate, provide vision and direct people. They also use their skills to help others develop their potentials and achieve their career goals.  Good leaders not only inspire grow professionally but also influence the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of other people. Managers usually center on controlling people, while true leaders empower others and bring innovation and inspire transformation. Leaders become the basic instrument, which helps to fulfill organizational vision and mission. In nursing, leaders combine caring about patients with care about their employees and subordinates.  Building relations and establishing connections is one of the basic characteristics of a good leader. In healthcare service, effective leadership is impossible without professionalism. At the same time, it is also impossible without effective communication and quality interaction. A good leader uses the combination of qualities to ensure safe and quality care.

Positive leadership style can be an effective instrument of leadership in nursing. Different leadership styles, such as servant, transformational, democratic, authoritarian and laisser-faire provide different leadership opportunities and bring different results for organizations. Some styles are more suitable for leadership in the clinic area, while others can be not as effective. Servant leadership assumes leadership through the developing of relationship and through the teamwork. Servant leaders care about the opinions of other people and promote trust and culture inside of the organization. They put much care to the needs of individuals. Transformational leadership centers on positive change, inspired by the leader. Transformational leaders center on individual characteristics and make everything possible for their employees to develop their potential in the best way.  Transformational leaders center on individual needs. They also use intellectual stimulation, aiming to make people look for solutions to the problem and this way grow and develop their potentials. They also put an accent on inspiration and motivation. Transformational leaders can become an effective instrument of change and innovation. Democratic leadership is often associated with teamwork, participative approach and problem-solving. Democratic leader appreciates all members of the team and gives all of them the chance to express themselves. At the same time, he dedicates much time to cooperation and team cooperation. Effective communication is an important instrument of democratic leadership. Authoritarian leadership fosters autocratic decision making when the leader takes all important decisions and employees have no choice but to follow his orders and directions. The authoritarian leader wants obedience and punishes those, who do not follow his orders. Despite the fact this leadership style is often judged for lack of democracy and individual approach, it can be effective in the cases of emergency and during the crisis. Laisser-faire leadership style assumes minimum directions from the leader. In this kind of leadership, the leader becomes a distanced observer, giving initiative to employees.  Leadership styles present different models of relations inside of the organization. Transformational and democratic leadership models are recognized as the most effective models for contemporary organizations. At the same time, in some rare cases, other models can be used effectively.  For example, despite the fact authoritarian leadership style is often judged for lack of democracy and individual approach, it can be effective in the cases of emergency and during the crisis.

Effective strategy supplements leadership style.  LBWA (leadership by walking around) is a strategy, which gains popularity among contemporary leaders and managers. This strategy assumes the leader’s participation in daily routine and physical presence among employees. LBWA can help the members of the nursing team feel valued and appreciated. “The idea is to get out and see how things actually work, visiting with people and gaining insight into who’s doing what. To operationalize this strategy, the sole goal of LBWA is meeting with people rather than taking care of business issues” (Pullen 2016). Leadership in nursing requires personal insolvent in order not only to be aware of all problems and growth potentials but also to build deep and trustworthy interaction with all members of the nursing team. Modern leaders come to the realization that human resources make the most valuable potential of any organization. A good leader makes everything possible to inspire people and make them grow not only professionally, but also as personalities.

For the present moment, there is a necessity in leaders at all levels of nursing practice. all major effort should be directed in order to provide safe and quality patient care. This goal can’t be achieved without effective leadership and management.

References

Zenger,  Jack,  (June 20, 2012). Ethics in Leadership: The 8 Rules to Prevent Misuse of Corporate Power, Forbes, http://www.forbes.com/sites/jackzenger/2012/06/20/ethics-in-leadership-the-8-rules-to-protect-corporate-power/

George,  B. (June 06,   2011).  Why Leaders Lose Their Way Harvard Business School, http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6741.html

Fuqua, E. H., Payne, K.E.  Cangemi,  J. P.  Leadership And The Effective Use Of Power Western Kentucky University, http://www.nationalforum.com/Electronic%20Journal%20Volumes/Fuqua,%20Jr.,%20Harold%20E.%20Leadership%20and%20the%20Effectives%20Use%20of%20Power.pdf

Pullen, Richard, Leadership in nursing practice, Nursing Made Incredibly Easy!: May/June 2016 – Volume 14 – Issue 3 – p 26–31

Kottler, J.P. (2014). What Leaders Really Do. Harward Bussiness Review OnPoint. Seize Your Leadership Moment.

Roussel, L.  Thomas, P., Ratcliffe, C. (2016). Leadership Theory and Application for Nurse Leaders. Management and Leadership for Nurse Administrators, Seventh Edition, Jones & Bartlett Learning Publish.

Leadership and Management (2008). Operations Manual for Delivery of HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment at Primary Health Centres in High-Prevalence, Resource-Constrained Settings: Edition 1 for Fieldtesting and Country Adaptation. World Healthcare Organization.

Scully, Natashia Josephine. (December 2015). Leadership in nursing: The importance of recognising inherent values and attributes to secure a positive future for the profession, Australian College of Nursin, Volume 22, Issue 4, Pages 439–444.

 

 

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

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"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

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freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
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[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

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