Analysis of the Powers of a Nurse Manager

Analysis of thePowers of a Nurse Manager

Analysis ofthe Powers of a Nurse Manager

Today,the leadership styles adopted in many organizations keeps on changingdue to the world dynamisms that always change how people lead theirlives. Therefore, it is essential for managers in healthorganizations to adjust to these changes in order to increase theproductivity of employees at the workplace. Nursing environments arebecoming more complex than before with more occupations coming upsuch as occupational therapy, psychology, and physiology amongothers. The paper seeks to analyze the leadership and managementstyle utilized in the case study of Mrs. Jackson, a nurse manager isa small American town. The assessment of Mrs. Jackson’s leadershipstyle will help in devising ways in which she can improve hernegative management methods so as to meet the needs of the currentnursing environment.

Typesof Nurse Manager Power

Basedon a thorough analysis of the case study, it is evident that Mrs.Jackson managed the American hospital with a dictatorial leadershipstyle (Grohar-Murray &amp Langan, 2011). She controlled theemployees in an authoritative manner whereby she used her powers tocommand the subordinate staff members. The employees worked with alot of fear as Mrs. Jackson threatened their job security by usingher superior position. It is clear that she wielded power over theothers, an aspect that lowered the productivity of employees at theworkplace. Some of the detrimental behaviors demonstrated by Mrs.Jackson include favoritism and ignorance of the workers’ complaints(Grohar-Murray &amp Langan, 2011). It is crucial for managers toadopt behaviors and attitudes that promote teamwork, resilience andinterpersonal communication among the workers. However, Mrs. Jacksonfavored some workers and harassed others, and her attitude created aharsh working environment for the lower-level employees.

Consequencesof strong negative leadership

Consequently,the negative leadership style led to low productivity as theemployees worked under pressure and fear. It seems that Mrs. Jacksondid not assess how the subordinates felt as she commanded them toperform the day to day activities. There are certain behaviors thatcontribute to teamwork, and nurse managers should adopt them for thebetterment of the healthcare organizations. First, managers shouldrecognize that every worker has some strengths and weaknesses, andthus they should not force them to perform difficult tasks. Secondly,the nurse managers should develop good interpersonal relations withthe workers through effective communication. Lastly, the leadersshould help in creating an environment with feedback systems thatenable workers to forward their complaints and opinions on whatshould be corrected or done better in a hospital (Dossey, Keegan &ampBarrere, 2016).

Recommendedactions to improve Mrs. Jackson’s Leadership Style

Inaddition to the discussed behaviors, Mrs. Jackson should be trainedand educated on the best leadership styles in a healthcareorganization. There are different styles adopted by leaders, whichmay include democratic, transformational, laissez-fair, andauthoritative leadership styles. However, the most appropriate stylein the current nursing environment is transformational leadershipwhereby the leader seeks to develop the abilities, skills, andcompetencies of the workers (Nongard, 2014). Mrs. Jackson should beprovided with information on how effective managers lead their peoplewithout necessarily being authoritative when controlling theireveryday activities. Good nurse managers are supportive, visionaryand responsive to workers complaints.

After taking the necessary actions aimed at improving Mrs. Jackson’smanagement style, it is important to monitor her performance in thecourse of her work. The key performance indicators applicable in thiscase include the level of job satisfaction, quality of care, andemployee turnover. Good leadership would mean low employee turnoverrate and high quality of care, and the opposite is also true. Inconclusion, the most conspicuous leadership style identified in thecase study is authoritative whereby Mrs. Jackson wielded power overthe lower-level workers. Based on the dynamic nature of the currentnursing environment, it is advisable for Mrs. Jackson to adopt thetransformational leadership style that will enhance autonomy andself-drive among the employees.

References

Dossey, B. M., Keegan, L. &amp Barrere, C. (2016). Holisticnursing: a handbook for practice. Burlington, MA: Jones &ampBartlett Learning.

Grohar-Murray, M. E., Langan, J. C. (2011). Leadership and Managementin Nursing. New York: Pearson Education.

Nongard, R. K. (2014). Transformational leadership : how to leadfrom your strengths and maximise your impact. Tulsa, Oklahoma:PeachTree Professional Education, Inc.