7 Leadership Styles In Nursing: How Do They Impact You?

Admin
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on Aug 27, 2022

What kind of leader do you want to become? Have you decided yet? Imagine you have achieved a managerial position and are wondering what type of leader you want to be. Or you already are but stand undecided on the leader position you dream of being.

In nursing, leadership can get job satisfaction and improve performance as a nurse. This affects the quality of life of patients and their treatments. Leadership drives working conditions, team performance, and quality. It is essential to maintain or improve patients’ quality and experience.

According to studies, nurses’ proper leadership improves patients’ satisfaction and safety outcomes and reduces complications. Nurses undergo rigorous training that takes years of experience to master, and nursing assignments help them gain insight and train them for the kind of nurse they want to be. Leadership style varies depending on the individual’s personality and approach. Because of this, it may take a while for nurses to establish their leadership style.

Many choose assignment help for nursing assignment help, and this does not stir them away from leadership roles. Let’s discuss leadership styles in nursing.

Leadership Styles in Nursing

1.Autocratic Leadership

Nursing leaders with an autocratic style often make decisions without the consultation of their team. They are quick decision-makers. Often, they withhold information from the group. They are great at assigning tasks and giving directions.

Strength: It works best during an emergency that requires quick decision-making and critical abilities. It also works best when legal policies and medical procedures that protect patient health and safety need to be reinforced.

Weakness: They have little tolerance for team members who commit mistakes. Their approach can be deemed unfavourable and often results in poor communication, trust issues and less reliability. As it doesn’t promote collaborative decision-making, it obstructs the reliability and transparency within the organization.

2.Laissez-faire Leadership

In contrast to autocratic leadership, this offers minimum guidance and supervision. It’s a ‘hands-off approach, meaning they allow team members to function as they prefer. It will enable them to be creative. This is often seen in new or inexperienced nursing leaders.

Strengths: It works best in healthcare or hospice settings where nurses are confident in their decisions and can work independently. Laissez-faire leadership works best for self-reliant or experienced nurses who are confident in their skills and do not need to be micromanaged.

Weakness: New or inexperienced nurses requiring assistance are not guided under this leadership. It allows nurses to set their own goals and be self-reliant. They aren’t great decision-makers, thus, aren’t able to make quick decisions during emergencies.

3.Transformational leadership

They transform the working conditions and bring improvements where needed. It is a management style that encourages members to think rather than only follow what they are told. They are encouraged to think for themselves, motivating them to be responsible for their roles and perform better than expected.

According to the American Nursing Association(ANA), Transformational Leaders “lead people where they need to be to meet the demands of the future.”

Strengths: Being great at mentoring, they provide the necessary assistance to both experienced and inexperienced nurses. They lead by example. Such activities build a trusting, reliable and transparent work environment. It also boosts confidence and encourages them to work independently. These leaders are open to new ideas and perspectives, which drives high employee morale and satisfaction.

Weakness: It works best in an already existing structure. It is not ideal for new organizations as they must establish working conditions and systems before bringing in improvements and developments.

4.Democratic Leadership

As the name suggests, it listens and encourages employees to voice their opinions while making decisions. They also provide valuable feedback, giving way to open and honest communication and driving job satisfaction. Not only do they promote personal and professional growth, but they also cause the team’s success.

Strengths: It improves the quality and experience of work. Furthermore, it improves job performance. It makes the workplace more efficient when there is trust and reliability among employees. It makes employees feel included and valued.

Weakness: Because decision-making is collaborative, leaders cannot make quick decisions independently during an emergency. They require valuable input from their employees, which delays the process. And time is of the utmost importance in the nursing profession.

5.Servant Leadership

It refers to serving first and then leading. Being relationship-oriented, they work towards achieving high employee development. Leaders influence and motivate employees to do their best. They help develop skills and ensure employees have the tools and resources required to complete.

Strength: These leaders are patient and compassionate. They work best for new or inexperienced nurses and are ideal for a multidisciplinary/diverse team.

Weakness: They put the team’s requirements before individual needs. It is not recommended when top-down decisions are made. Organizations working poorly may suffer from servant leadership.

6.Transactional Leadership

It refers to punishment and award techniques. It motivates employees to complete tasks through a method of punishment and award. Here, efficiency is the priority, focusing on supervision, organization and performance.

Strength: It reduces error as it is an evidence-based approach. It is ideal when a lot of tasks are assigned with tight deadlines. They are excellent problem-solvers, making them suitable leaders during an emergency.

Weakness: Their focus is on task achievement and not building morale. It is not ideal for maintaining long-term workplace relationships and does not promote job satisfaction.

7.Situational Leadership

These leaders alter their leadership styles depending on the situation and its requirements. They are flexible and adaptable, and they work well in healthcare.

Strength: It works well when required to teach or guide students.

Weakness: This leadership style distracts them from long-term organizational goals.

One must be conscious of their actions and interests while establishing a leadership style. One can explore different types and observe how team members, work performance, quality of life, safety measures and the organization are affected. One can use nursing assignment help explore the options, and they can decide what suits them best.