NURSING LEADERSHIP

Nursing Leadership

Nursing Leadership

Introduction

Putting nursing leadership into practice in the dynamic health care system of today is a challenge. Health care organizations are in flux, structures are changing, and roles and functions of nurse managers become moving targets.

A particular feature of the growth of organisational theory during the post-war period has been the emergence of leadership as a distinct entity from that of management. At the beginning of this period, Leadership was defined as a process in which subordinates are influenced to behave in a desired manner; a definition of leadership indistinguishable from management. The notion of leadership as a medium for personal growth emerged during the 1980s. In leadership as a transforming process, the leader creates visions of goals to be obtained and articulates ways to obtain those goals. By the 1990s, a definition of leadership was to emerge which completed the process of distinguishing between management activity and leadership activity. Leaders are people who inspire, and whom others will follow and trust in their integrity. Leaders care for people they are leading, and try to strengthen and promote them, leaders facilitate, help, encourage and praise.

Discussion

Leadership skills growth in nursing is driven by public health and the health and social care agenda. The focus of leadership activity is to lead an educated, skilled workforce capable of implementing adjustment in public health practice and service delivery and together empower people and communities to achieve a healthy lifestyle balance. (Turner, 2009)

Developing skills for leadership is one of the most important tasks for all nurses. A first step in this process is to examine your leadership style. This can be accomplished by taking an assessment test or by rating yourself on an instrument designed for that purpose. If the self-assessment shows a high level of one type of leadership style, you may want to consider the growth of skills in other types of leadership. If your experience has been primarily in leadership of work groups, one should seek out experiences in leading community groups or community efforts. Interdisciplinary experiences should also be included as part of your growth in leadership competence. (Avolio, 2009)

The emergence of leadership from out of the shadow of management raises the question of their relationship. Rather than seeing leadership as a replacement or substitute for the perceived failures of management, it is more pertinent to explore the manner in which leadership has come to be seen as complementary to the management process. Clinical nursing leadership is about exerting (blending) influence, control and authority within a particular field.

The terms 'control' and 'authority' can sit uncomfortably within a modern-day discussion of leadership, as they seem to hark back to notions of managerial coercion, but the apparent dichotomy between the exercise of control and leadership had been addressed at an early stage in the post-war period. Individuals potentially influence others with the bases of social control.

Although legitimate control, based on one's hierarchical position within a nursing home, is recognised by French and Raven, so too is referent and expert ...