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Nursing Leadership Theories

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There are many types of leadership theories, three of the most common are Authoritarian, democratic and Laissez a faire. Theorists argue as to which is the best suited for nursing. Authoritarian or Autocratic leaders that make all decisions and plans without considering input from their staff members (Frandsen B 2013). These leaders micromanage and withhold information from their team and use negative enforcements and punishment to enforce their rules (Cox, A. J. 2016). Mistakes are not well received and blame is placed on those who did not succeed. However, the positive side to this leadership style is that it is valuable in emergencies, chaotic situations and training new employees (Cox, A. J. 2016).. These situations are usually short term …show more content…

J. 2016). Clear decision making may not be set out as there is no interference from the leader or manager (Foster, 2014). This style has advantages when used with fully independent groups of nurses or health care professionals (Foster, 2014). This type of leadership may be unsatisfactory for new nurses who need more structure and guidance from their leaders (Cox, A. J. 2016). Overall, these styles are all cohesive and can be used in the nursing field in appropriate situations as each style comes with its own advantages and disadvantages (Rigolosi and Rigolosi, 2005). For example, on a regular nursing shift the coordinator may use a more democratic approach to run their shift, a situation may arise where a MET call happens and the nurse may need to take on a more authoritarian approach to save time and increase efficiency (Rigolosi and Rigolosi, 2005). Furthermore, a leader may be having a difficult time with one or more of their staff members and may need to change their style of leadership to better suit that particular staff member to ensure a good working relationship and effective communication (Goleman, D …show more content…

The earlier these skills are developed in the career of a nurse the stronger the leader they will become. A graduate nurse must have insight into their emotional intelligence, know the difference between leadership and management and the skills required to do both successfully. As well as the different theories on leadership and what scenarios they are best suited to in the nursing field. All of this information will help a graduate nurse to develop their leadership skills over to course of their career. To be a good leader, a nurse leader must be the visionary to their team, encourage and inspire them. The leader must come up with strategies, plans and the determination to drive their team to achieve their goals. Despite how similar leadership and management seem to be, management tends to be more task based. A mangers role is to create an a adaptive learning and social system, to focus on the organisation and alignment of resources, tasks, stratagems and staff issues. The nurse manager also enables and manages the conditions that invite innovation, adaptability and the progression of research and knowledge. Furthermore, be be an effective leader and manager it is important for the graduate nurse to understand the importance of emotional intelligence and how to achieve optimal results from their relationships with their team members. Emotional intelligence includes; Self awareness, self

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