Transformational Leadership Paper

Through the components of charisma or idealized influence, inspiration and vision, intellectual stimulation and individual consideration, transformational leadership promotes accountability, and critical thinking and also leads to increased job satisfaction. I find transformational leadership to be applicable in my own practice as a student nurse and also have changed my views concerning leadership as a result of understanding transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is beckons change and has the potential to significantly better nursing as a

Transformational theory reminds leaders of how their behavior influences their team members by building trust in the organization, showing how they fit in the organization, and sharing a vision together (Northouse, 2010). Even though all nursing theories share unique criticisms, Northouse (2010) goes on to suggest “more attention should be directed toward how leaders can encourage followers to challenge the leader’s vision and share in the leadership process” (p. 189). A self-assessment tool, such as the multifactor leadership questionnaire (MLQ), can assist the leader in understanding how they can improve their leadership qualities. MLQ examples might include evaluating the awareness of being open to others opinions, demonstrating confidence, or assisting in developing others leadership strengths.

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.

My nursing leadership philosophy is based on transformational leadership to which I ascribe. Transformational nurse leaders have a vested interest in the success of those they lead and their organization’s vision. They are visionaries in the pursuit of cutting-edge ways of completing the tasks and goals of the team and organization. They are able to inspire, encourage, open to mentorship, see the potential in those they lead while challenging them, and knowing their strengths and weaknesses. I am cognizant of my own limitations, strengths and weaknesses, acknowledge my mistakes and open to change.

Leading a health care organization comes with immense responsibility and is not an easy task. Transformational leadership has proven to be an effective leadership style in the nursing profession, demonstrating a clear mission, a commitment to excellence, and the ability to motivate and lead others to higher levels of achievement (Schwartz, Spencer, Wilson, & Wood, 2001). Characteristics and qualities of an effective leader include

A transformational leadership style along with good communication skills can be used to manage the multiples issues Hartland Memorial faces. “Transformational leadership involves anticipating future trends, inspiring followers to understand and embrace a new vision of possibilities, developing others to be leaders, and reward learners” (Hellriegal & Slocum, 2009, p. 301). Elizabeth and her associates should have the necessary qualities of a transformational leader; integrity, accountability, and motivation, so the staff can identify with them. The nurse manager could give nurses opportunities to demonstrate and experience leadership in their profession on a regular basis. Effective leadership is critical in delivering high quality care; equally

Leadership styles can greatly affect the success of a department and organization. This success leads to improved employee satisfaction and better patient outcomes. There are different leadership styles present in the nursing profession and they have changed and evolved over the years. Transformational leadership has been shown to increase employee satisfaction, engage staff members, and increase commitment to organization (Schwartz, Spencer, Wilson, & Wood, 2011). Studies have shown that there is a positive relationship between transformational leadership and improved patient outcomes (Wong & Cummings, 2007). Individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation,

Transformational leadership is highly effective at changing a nursing culture and motivating other staff members to make every effort toward the change or goal at hand. Transformational leaders have the ability to inspire, motivate and lead on the behalf of others. “Transformational leadership espouses intellectual stimulation and individual considerations to empower staff and enhance patient care" (Murphy, 2005, p. 128).

Transformational leadership. Burns (1978) is recognized as one of the earliest theorist on transformational leadership, who introduced transformational leadership over 30 years ago. Transformational leaders are perceived as leaders who uplift their employee morale, subsequently uplifting the entire organizational. Transformational leaders are known by their capacity to inspire followers to forgo self-interests in achieving superior results for the organization (Clawson, 2006). Avolio and Yammarino (2002) shared Bass’s explanation of transformational leadership as leaders who act as agents of change that stimulate, and transform followers’ attitudes, beliefs, and motivate from lower to higher level of arousal.

44) There are four characteristics of transformational leadership which include: being an effective communicator, possessing inspirational traits, having a trustworthy character, and promoting teamwork. Taking examples from the clinical research policies, procedures and daily workflow processes can help evaluate how this theory might be implemented and assist in making nursing administrative changes to benefit the

The current changes in health care are causing a continual transformation of the practice environment that requires concomitant modifications in policies, competencies and leadership behaviors. This nursing symposium will present a broad overview of some relevant and advanced topics in nursing practice, research and leadership. The leadership session will introduce the shared governance and transformational leadership as a set of actions and behaviors to be able to apply those new leadership skills. The presenter is aiming to increase awareness of transformational leadership as an effective and active leadership style among nurse managers. Additionally, the expectations from the leadership session is to present an overview about different tools

In every health care organisation, strong leadership and management skills play a pivotal role in the provision of quality patient care. Among health care professionals, a strong leadership style is one that motivates the team to practice ‘direct involvement in clinical care while constantly influencing others to improve the care they provide’ (Cook, 1999). This is echoed by Porter-O’Grady (2003) who stated, ‘Primarily nurses may use leadership ‘styles’ to effectively identify and achieve goals, motivate staff and support to help provide the best evidence based practice to achieve a specific and achievable goal’. With a focus on two specific leadership styles, namely transactional and transformational, nursing professionals can positively influence the quality of patient care. These two styles both stem from power and influence, the core leadership theory that suggests personal power is vital in leadership and a successful leader uses both expert and referent sources of power (Piccolo and Colquitt, 2006). Both these styles are significantly different in approach and execution. They both also present different strengths and weaknesses so it is important for graduating nurses to understand how to use both styles collaboratively and to their advantage as they are not mutually exclusive, and some combination of both may enhance effective leadership (Mahoney, 2001). A manager is expected to carry out specific duties and has definite responsibilities. Good nursing managers are

The main focus of the theory is motivation, inspiration and empowerment to create changes. It is based on the idea of empowering others to facilitate overall goal. Bennis and Nanus (1985) describe this new leader as a leader who “commits people to action, who converts leaders into leaders, and who converts leaders into agents of change” (p.3).177. According to processes to engage and motivate staff article “Transformational leadership is important for high quality care delivery, and behaviors that nurse leaders inspire, role model and reinforce are instrumental in creating work practice that deliver optimum care”.

Transformational leadership is an emerging type of leadership that is more adaptable the changing environment within healthcare and has the ability to guide and empower staff to embrace the changes (Finkelman, 2012). This type of leadership is especially important today with many nurses felling unsatisfied, or unappreciated. In order to have a successful organization, it must first have the ability to retain nurses through job satisfaction. Transformational leaders have the ability to encourage staff members to embrace the changes to come, by promoting such things as team work, and recognition of hard work done by staff members (Smith, 2011). Having the ability to recognize staffing needs along with the compassion to try and meet those needs while maintaining the functionality of the organization, is the key to future

By understanding the impact of the transformational leaders in health care, they positively influence the employee’s job satisfaction. Moreover, the transformational nurse leaders approach can have influence on the productivity of the staff. The way in which nurse managers or leaders make decisions, delegate responsibility, and interact with staff or employees can affect the organization. According to Bass ( European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology 1999), transformational leadership is more effective than transactional leadership because it can improve the capability of sales forced, help a company reshape its image in the marketplace and create a positive work environment for employees