Page 21 - Essentials of Nursing Leadership and Management, 5th Edition

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8 unit 1 | Professional Considerations CikguOnline
theories to explain leadership (Bennis, Spreitzer, & that goes beyond good interpersonal relationships
Cummings, 2001). or the appropriate reward for a job well done (Bass
Adaptability is the key to the situational & Avolio, 1993). This is especially true in nursing.
approach (McNichol, 2000). Instead of assuming Caring for people, sick or well, is the goal of the
that one particular approach works in all situations, profession. Most people chose nursing in order to
situational theories recognize the complexity of work do something for the good of humankind: this is
situations and encourage the leader to consider many their vision. One responsibility of leadership is to
factors when deciding what action to take. help nurses achieve their vision.
Situational theories emphasize the importance Transformational leaders can communicate
of understanding all the factors that affect a partic- their vision in a manner that is so meaningful and
ular group of people in a particular environment. exciting that it reduces negativity (Leach, 2005)
The most well-known and still practiced theory is and inspires commitment in the people with whom
the Situational Leadership Model by Dr. Paul they work (Trofino,1995).If successful,the goals of
Hersey. The appeal of this model is that it focuses the leader and staff will “become fused, creating
on the task and the follower. The key is to marry unity, wholeness, and a collective purpose” (Barker,
the readiness of the follower with the task behav- 1992, p. 42).
ior at hand. “Readiness is defined as the extent to
which a follower demonstrates the ability and will- Moral Leadership
ingness to accomplish a specific task” (Hersey & The corporate scandals of recent years have redi-
Campbell, 2004, p. 114). The task behavior is rected attention to the values and ethics that
defined as “the extent to which the leader engages underlie the practice of leadership as well as that of
in spelling out the duties and responsibilities of an client care (Dantley, 2005). Caring about the peo-
individual and a group” (Hersey & Campbell, ple who work for you as people as well as employ-
2004, p. 114). ees (Spears & Lawrence, 2004) is part of moral
Followers’ readiness levels can range from unable leadership.This can be a great challenge in times of
and unwilling (or insecure) to able, willing, and limited financial resources.
confident.The leader’s behavior will focus on appro-
Molly Benedict was a team leader on the acute
priately fulfilling the follower’s needs,which are iden-
geriatric unit (AGU) when a question of moral
tified by their readiness level and the task. Leader
leadership arose. Faced with large budget cuts in
behaviors will range from telling,guiding,and direct-
the middle of the year and feeling a little desperate
ing to delegating, observing, and monitoring.
to figure out how to run the AGU with fewer
Where did you fall in this model during your first
staff, her nurse manager suggested that reducing
clinical rotation compared with where you are now?
the time that unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP)
In the beginning, the clinical instructor was giving
spent ambulating the clients would enable him to
you clear instructions and guiding and directing you.
increase UAP workload from 10 to 15 clients.
Now, she or he is most likely delegating, observing,
“George,” responded Molly, “you know that inac-
and monitoring. However, as you move into your
tivity has many harmful effects, from emboli to
first nursing position, you may return to the guiding
disorientation in our very elderly population.
and directing stage. On the other hand, you may
Instead, let’s try to figure out how to encourage
have become a leader/instructor for new students,
more self-care or even family involvement in care
and you may be guiding and directing them.
so the UAP can still walk clients and prevent their
Transformational Leadership becoming nonambulatory.” Molly based her
response on important values, particularly those of
Although the situational theories were an improve-
prevention.
ment over earlier theories, there was still something
missing. Meaning, inspiration, and vision were
not given enough attention (Tappen, 2001). These Qualities of an Effective Leader
are the distinguishing features of transformational If leadership is seen as the ability to influence, what
leadership. qualities must the leader possess in order to be able
The transformational theory of leadership to do that? Integrity, courage, attitude, initiative,
emphasizes that people need a sense of mission energy, optimism, perseverance, balance, ability to