NURSING LEADERSHIP

Towards a theory of Nursing Leadership

Towards a theory of Nursing Leadership

Theoretical Perspectives of Change

The question of leadership in nursing education is one that has been examined extensively in the past literatures. In this paper, various dimensions and aspects related to change in nursing leadership will be discussed in the following assignment. After the discussion of principles related to change, it will be then followed with an analysis of actions and strategies used in a capacity building project aimed at developing novice nurse academics' research skills. Theories of transformational leadership, and, contingency theory of leadership, highlighted, in relation to the processes used, thus illustrating the application of theory to the practice of nursing leadership in the academy. Kurt Lewin was one of the first social psychologists who developed a way to observe the change that has proven skilled for managers and action-oriented employees. His approach was called Force Field Analysis, and, said that any situation can be considered in a state of equilibrium resulting from the balance of force that pushes each other constantly. To initiate change someone has to act to change the existing balance of forces which are:

1. To increase the force for change

2. By reducing the intensity of the forces that resists and total removal of them becomes necessary.

3. With the change in the direction of a force that transforms a resistance to pressure for change (Courtney, 2004).

Strategies used in the planned change process

An important part of Lewin's approach to behavior change is to manage and lead this change through a three step process:

1. Defrosting: Includes reducing the forces that maintain the performance of the organization to its current level. It is sometimes achieved with the introduction of information showing discrepancies between the desired behavior of employees and the behaviors they exhibit today.

2. Action: This step shifts the behavior of the organization or department to a new level. It includes developing new behaviors, values and attitudes through changes in organizational structures and processes.

3. Refreezing: This step stabilizes the organization into a new state of equilibrium. This is achieved through the use of support mechanisms to strengthen the new state, such as organizational culture, norms, policies and organizational structures.

Therefore, these are the strategies, used in the planned change process (French, 1973).

The internal and external basis of change in Nursing

During the last half of the 20th century, there were cyclical nursing shortages resolved by the efforts of nurse educators, and, nurse administrators to recruit more students into programs. Associate degree nursing programs, noted above, and proposed in the 1950s in response to nursing shortages after both World War II and the Korean War. During shortages of the late 1980s, some programs reduced their admission or progression requirements or both of these to ensure that more students moved, through the pipeline, to become graduate nurses. Schools that lowered their admission, and, retention standards commonly experienced greater failure rates on the national nursing licensure examination that all graduates take for licensure as registered ...