Effective Management And Leadership At A Public Enquiry Chaired By Robert Francis

This reflective essay is based on my strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities (SWOT) analysis (Appendix 1) in order to examine my leadership skills. Leadership is one of the essential component in nursing since all nurses are expected to demonstrate effective leadership skills to ensure patient’s well-being is protected and improve their experiences while receiving the care (Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2015). Firstly, leadership will be defined within the context of the NHS and particularly nursing. Furthermore, some of the current health issues and challenges faced by health care practice that are related to poor leadership will be discussed. The essay will be continued by exploring various relevant leadership theories in relation to nursing practice and working within the Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDTs). Lastly, as mentioned earlier, I will also be reflecting on my strengths and weaknesses from practice, then develop a SMART (Specific, measureable, achievable, realistic and time-bound) action plan to improve my leadership skills which will be followed by a brief conclusion.

Management and leadership are two different ways of organising people and although sometimes used interchangeably, they are two different functions. Management has a strong emphasis on order and control, while leadership has a focus on articulating a compelling vision, which both inspires and guides others to follow (Dignam et al., 2012). In this essay I will critique two styles of leadership, authoritarian and situational. In addition to this, the management cycle will be discussed. I will then identify how the newly graduated Registered Nurse and the nursing profession can use these styles to provide quality patient care.

Every day, a set team of nurses and nursing managers set out to ensure the health and well-being of their patients. To achieve this goal, a nurse manager must adhere to a specific style of nursing leadership. There are many different styles of leadership in the healthcare field. Bass and Barnes (1985) stated that the two most common are transformational and transactional (as cited in Frankel, 2008, p.24). This paper will define leadership, the two different styles, how each are executed, as well as pros and cons of each.

Nurses are increasingly becoming the strong leadership in developing all aspects of health care policy and decisions. Unfortunately the shared consensus is that most nurses do not possess leadership skills adequate enough to keep up with the ever-evolving field. The IOM reports on this by stating: “Nurses at all levels need strong leadership skills to contribute to patient safety and quality of care.” (IOM, 2010 pp.223) It is felt that nurses are depicted as people who carry out

In healthcare it is very important to have strong leaders, especially in the nursing profession. A nurse leader typically uses several styles of leadership depending on the situation presented; this is known as situational leadership. It is important that the professional nurse choose the right style of leadership for any given situation to ensure their employees are performing at their highest potential. Depending on which leadership style a nurse leader uses, it can affect staff retention and the morale of the employees as well as nurse job satisfaction (Azaare & Gross, 2011.) “Nursing leaders have the responsibility to create and maintain a work environment which not only promotes positive patient outcomes but also

The leadership of General George S. Patton can be viewed as an example of transactional leadership. This type of leadership makes followers of an “organization achieve objectives through rewards and punishment”. This can be shown in the scene in Patton where he is meeting his new soldiers for the first time. As he is driving through the streets of North Africa, he sees his fellow soldiers are poorly dressed and not all in uniform. Soldiers had just finished a

I always act as a positive role model and encourage others to be the best nurse they can be. It’s always nice to hear compliments and praise, which leads to being motivated and increased self-esteem, and giving higher levels of care. As it says in Chapter 4, it creates an empowered environment “where nurses feel they make a difference” (Grossman and Valiga, 2013, p. 74). When there is higher moral on the units, patients also sense difference, and it shows with a positive patient outcomes. Acting as a transformational leader, people will look up to you as a role model and trust you judgments and decisions. I feel as though when people work together and praise one another, more gets accomplished and goals are reached faster. Since we all spend many hours at work, it’s important to like what we do for job satisfaction, and transformational leadership definitely promotes this

Transactional leadership on the other hand was first described in 1947 by Max Weber; he first coined "rational-legal leadership — the style that would come to be known as transactional leadership — as the exercise of control on the basis of knowledge” (Spahr, 2014). According to Spahr (2014), characteristics of transactional leaders include: focus on short-term goals, favor structured policies and procedures, thrive on rule following and doing things correctly, revel in efficiency, left-brained, inflexible, and opposed to change.

Woods (2011) “Good practice in an increasingly uncertain and bureaucratic health care climate therefore requires considerable courage and commitment from present-day nurses” (p. 272). I was unable to make the impacts at the facility I wanted, however the situation taught me about leadership and

Cultivating the leaders of today and tomorrow will be indispensable to the execution of the impressive objectives delineated for the health service (NHS Scotland 2004). Leadership in nursing involves an amalgamation of clinical, academic, executive and political facets. Hence, there is the contingency for nurses to be leaders at the bedside, in universities, in the boardroom and in a political capacity (Gallagher and Tschudin 2010). The clinical nurse leader position is an emergent dynamism as health care endeavours to cope with the challenges of today’s intricacy and result orientation. (Gerard, Grossman and Godfrey). Nursing leadership is critical for effective practice as nurses emblematise the greatest discipline in health care (Sullivan and Garland 2010). Additionally, leadership in nursing has been established as a cost-effectual approach to enhance patient outcomes in times of constrained monetary reserves, when leaders can administer direction, impel change and embolden others (Murphy 2009).

“Transactional leadership is a style of leadership focused on contingent rewards of followers” (McGuire & Kennerly, 2006, p.180). Goals are set, directions are given, and rewards are used to reinforce employee behaviors associated with meeting or exceeding established goals. Followers are manipulated and controlled with rewards of praise and recognition, merit raises, and promotions, which can be given or withheld according to the employee’s performance. The outcome of such behavior is enhanced role clarity, job satisfaction and improved performance (McGuire & Kennerly, 2006).

Working in the health care environment the world needs effective, wise and visionary leaders, leadership matters in every organisation to change the health care environment so it may continue to grow to ensure it gives us better evidence based practice (Evans & M.L, 2015, p 34-50). All health care professionals are required at some point in their position to engage in management or leadership. As an AIN, EN or RN they all have a responsibility to educate, lead and manage within the health care profession (Innis & Berta, 2016, p.2-22). This allows each individual to develop useful and excellent leadership skills and management strategies to be able to educate and lead an exceptional team (Innis & Berta, 2016, p. 2-22). Although our greatest

“Managers with leadership styles that seek and value contributions from staff, promote a climate in which information is shared effectively, promote decision making at the staff nurse level, exert position power, and influence coordination of work to provide a milieu that maintains a stable cadre of nurses”, (Boyle, Bott, Hansen, Woods & Taunton, 2009). This statement describes the large impact a leadership style can make on the work environment, and the morale of the team. In nursing history, several theories and leadership

Leadership may mean different things to different people, the consensus opinion of experts in this field is that leadership is using power to direct and influence activities of people to achieve set goals or targets. Nursing leadership is all about every nurse providing, facilitating and promoting the best healthcare services to client and to the public. Leadership is a shared responsibility. (CNO 2012). The nursing profession need leaders that can build the capacity of nurses through mentoring, coaching, supporting, developing the expertise and management skills of nurses to make a difference to the quality of patient care at all levels of the profession ( McIntyre & McDonald, 2014 ). At the core of every leadership either political or managerial is power and how the leader uses it. While it is practically impossible to lead without power, how the nurse leader uses this power not only determine the leadership style but also the results or outcomes of what is achieved through the process.

Management and leadership skills in nursing and other healthcare professions are becoming a more and more widely spoken of subject, as they are essential skills for everyday practice in delivering care (Gopee and Galloway, 2009). Effective management requires the nurse to be able to draw on evidence based knowledge and experience to develop the ability to manage competently during practice. Skills without knowledge, appropriate attitude and understanding will not equate to competency (Watson, 2002).