Lecture 6: Nursing Leadership Theories

Nursing Leadership Theories Concepts and Frameworks ***Define leadership, followership, and management. o leadership: is the process of engaging and influencing others; and linked to Creating a vision for the future, aligning people, and motivating and inspiring to accomplish goals. An Informal Leader: Is an individual who demonstrates leadership outside the scope of a formal leadership role or as a member of a group, rather than as the head or leader of the group. o A formal leader: Is a person in a position of authority or someone with a sanctioned, assigned role within an organization that connotes influence. followership: involves engaging with others who are leading or managing by contributing to the work that needs to be done. effective followers are active, not passive; They share the same goals and purpose as leaders; and are skilled, self-directed employees who participate actively in setting the group’s direction and who invest time and energy in the work of the group, thinking critically, and advocating for new ideas. an effective relationship between followers and leaders is based on interdependency, mutual trust, and respect. o management: is about ensuring the job done and that people have the necessary resources to preform the job successfully. Relies on one’s ability to set goals and objectives, delegate, allocate, and ensure outcomes are met within established timelines and budgets. *** Analyze the current leadership theories and Leadership frameworks o Traditional Theories • Trait-based • Style/Behaviorbased o Contingency-Situational Theories • Situational Theory • Path-Goal Theory o Contemporary Theories • Transformational • Transactional • Authentic • Relational TRADITIONAL o TRAIT [ THE GREAT MAN THEORY] • Believes that individuals are born with leadership traits. Emphasises that leaders have a certain set of physical and emotional characteristics that are crucial for inspiring others. o STYLE/BEHAVOIUR • focus on how leaders behave and act rather than their characteristics or traits. The orientation of the leader to the task or the people determining the outcome. To work Leaders, need to manage focusing on both task and people orientation when choosing the behaviours to be successful, a high would be most ideal. • Tasked focused leadership Tends to lean towards Autocratic [ authoritarian] Leadership, Laissezfaire, and Instrumental Leadership [goal-oriented and largely concerned with accomplishing set tasks] • People oriented towards more of a democratic approach. CONTINGENCY- SITUATIONAL o SITUATIONAL CONTINGENCY [PATH – GOAL THEORY] Hersey & Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Theory: • Leadership effectiveness depends on situational factors. • the leader’s behaviour is contingent on task and follower characteristics. Leaders can enact any of the following styles according to the situation: • High-task, low-relationship focus: When the follower cannot do the job and is unwilling or afraid to try → leader steps in and tells the person what to do. • • • High-task, high-relationship focus: When the follower can do the job to some extent but is overconfident → Leader listens, advice, and coaches. Low-task, high-relationship focus: When the follower can do the job but is reluctant → Leader listens, praises, and makes the follower feel good when he/she shows necessary commitment. Low-task, low-relationship focus: When the follower can do the job, is motivated → Leader gets out of the way Leader. Fidler’s Contingency Theory: • • The right leader must be chosen for each job based on their skill set and the requirements of the situation. To best match leaders with situations, each leader must first understand their natural leadership style. Then, they need to evaluate whether their leadership style is right for the situation. The most effective leadership style for any given situation is one that aligns with the situation at hand and a leaders’ ability to succeed rests on leadership style and Situational favorableness. Situational Favorableness depends on: • • • Leader-member relationships (Trust) —The feelings and attitudes of followers regarding acceptance, trust, and credibility of the leader The degree of task structure (Clear, precise tasks)—The degree to which work is defined with specific procedures, explicit directions, and goals. The leader’s position power (High power is better, enforcement more possible)—The degree of formal authority and influence associated with the leader. Path goal theory • The leader works to motivate followers and influence goal accomplishment. Through being supportive, directive, or achievement oriented. Depending on the followers’ needs, the leader can enact distinctive styles: • • • • directive leadership style: > when the task is unstructured and or complex and followers are inexperienced. > provides structure through direction and authority. > leader is focused on the task and getting job done. supportive leadership style: > when the work is stressful, or hazardous to the staff. > making the environment more friendly is the goal. > relationship-oriented; the leader provides encouragement, interest, and attention, increase follower’s self-esteem, and make the job more interesting. achievement-oriented style > when the task is too complex > provides high structure and direction as well as high support through consideration behaviour. participative style: > focuses on involving followers in the decision-making process. CONTEMPORARY o TRANSFORMATIONAL • Transformational leaders influence nurses to go beyond the status quo, by inspiring and motivating them with ideals and values that resonate with nurses’ professional values and goals. • Leaders and followers set higher goals and work together to achieve them. The leaders focus on idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration, and inspirational motivation. o TRANSACTIONAL • Transactional leaders focus on using contingency based rewards (up effort = reward/ recognition). Leaders who lead in this manner prefer a Laissez-Faire approach to Avoid decisions and responsibility and manage by exception (MBE) > > Passive MBE Leaders intervenes only if something goes wrong. Active MBE leaders monitor the situation to anticipate problems/errors, and consequently punish or withdraw reward. o AUTHENTIC • Authentic leadership is a root construct in leadership theory, meaning that authenticity, being genuine and sincere, is the foundation for strengths-based leadership. • Leaders are aware of their own values and moral convictions and are constantly realigning their actions to match their values. Authentic leadership is strongly associated with followers’ trust in their leaders, and followers’ positive emotions. o RELATIONAL EMOTIONAL • Emotional Intelligence Leadership that encourages participation, self awareness, collaboration, and rational decision making o RELATIONAL RESONANT • Resonant Leaders are open, accessible, responsive, nonjudgmental, and are self aware and mindful on their emotions/ actions. It utilizes a coaching framework to build trust. o LAISSEZ-FAIRE LEADERS avoid making decisions and abdicate responsibility. o STRENGTHS-BASED LEADERS build on their own and others’ strengths. Associated with sense of ethical responsibility and the capacity to role model and reinforce ethical, professional behaviour. o AGILE LEADERS have the ability to anticipate the need for change and takes effective action in conditions never witnessed. And tend to be called visionaries due to their ability to explain, their ideas, the steps to achieve the goal, and ways to measure the progression of the project. o DIPLOMATIC LEADERS are adept at identifying synergies within the team and building upon them to achieve success. o EMBODIED LEADERS have a deep awareness of the mind and body and focus on insuring they and the team stay connected to themselves and others, rather than operating primarily from autopilot or reactivity. o AUTOCRATIC LEADERS are authoritarian leaders who imposes policies and procedures, sets expectations, defines outcomes, and generally take full control of their team and makes all the decisions with little input from anyone else. *** types of team management o Manager-led teams the manager is the team leader and oversees setting team goals, assigning tasks, and monitoring the team's performance. The individual team members have relatively little autonomy. o Self-managing/ governing teams group of employees within an organization who share the responsibility of planning and executing their work, without the supervision of a manager. Under this model, team members take ownership of their workflow, processes, schedules, roles, and more. o Self-directed teams groups of employees who combine their talents to work without the influence of traditional manager-based supervision. They work towards company goals just as teams run by a manager do. Competencies and Applications ***Identify key competencies associated with effective leadership, management, and followership for nursing leadership as described by the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA 2009) Effective transformational leaders: o o o o o o Build relationships and trust. Create an empowering work environment. Create a culture that supports knowledge development and integration. Lead and sustain change. Balance the complexities of the system, managing competing values and priorities. and routinely follow the five leadership practices ***Examine practical applications associated with leadership, management, and followership. Personal Attributes and Development ***Relate personal attributes, such as emotional intelligence and appreciative inquiry, to the capacity of professional nurses to lead, manage, and follow. ***Recognize the challenges associated with leading, managing, and following in complex health care environments.