Research Proposal on "Interview: Nursing and Leadership Theory Serving"

Research Proposal 6 pages (1846 words) Sources: 3 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Interview: Nursing and Leadership Theory

Serving in a role of leadership is always a genuine challenge.

However, this challenge takes on added importance when lives are stake.

Therefore, for the nursing professional and especially for the nursing

professional in a position of leadership, it is useful to understand some

of the qualities, ideas and characteristics constituting a great leader.

Beyond this, the achievement of organizational goals requires a sensible

balance between managerial commitment to the strategic interests of the

organization and to the human interests of its everyday operation at every

level. Indeed, research and experiential evidence will tend to demonstrate

that there is a symbiotic relationship between these aspects of

organizational orientation which suggests that effective strategy must

inherently consider the implications of the experience of the personnel who

will implement said strategy. This is the essential position offered by

the subject of my leadership interview. For the sake of anonymity, we will

refer to the respondent as Nurse X. Nurse X is a female head nurse of 44

years of age. She works in an emergency room setting and is an ideal

candidate for providing meaningful insight on the types of leadership

demands which are incumbent upon one in such a high-pressure context.

Thus, the interview would focus both on her leadership philosophy in a

general sense and on the manner in which she has channeled this perspective

into an actionable leadership style in the healthcare context.

Nurse X would relate a brief bit of her background in response to the

opening question. Though she works in a suburban context now, which she

describes as something more organized and less stressful than prior

experiences, she developed many of the skills on display today while

working as a nurse in an inner-city hospital. In addition to encountering

an array of conditions, injuries and individuals which would significantly

broaden her horizons, she would find that she was naturally cool under

pressure. She would seize situations aggressively in pursuit of

organizational efficiency, often taking the initiative to distribute

responsibilities and act upon decisions based on a sense of confidence and

necessity. When she determined to move out of the city, she found that her

experience and the relationships which she had established in the field had

qualified her for a position as the Director of Nurses at her current place

of employment. Here, she has thrived by her own account in the last 6

years, building a healthy relationship with a staff where morale is

uniquely high and where the quality of care is distinguished.

Nurse X would to some extent credit her own position and advancement

in the nursing community on some understanding of that which is implied by

leadership theory. Namely, she noted tha "I can see some ways in which the

qualities discussed are applicable to my own abilities. Particularly, I am

pleased to say that I have always been able to lead by example. I am a

very firm believer that every great leader must always 'pay their dues.'

Such is to say that no degree of leadership removes one from the practical

responsibilities of an occupation. I take pride in the fact that even from

a position of authority, I remain grounded in a practice of the basic labor

applications of all that I do. This is true whether at work or at home,

where I take pleasure in performing in even the smallest detail." We find

that Nurse X is a perfect embodiment of the leadership principles

encountered in our course materials, echoing the content's claim as to the

inherency of great leadership in one's personal makeup.

We enter into this discussion under the assumptive basis that an

organization's performance success will be inherently based on the

performance effectiveness of its personnel. Nurse X would endorse this

position, responding to a question concerning leadership theory in a

general sense by denoting that leadership it is a quality which can often

mean the difference between effective management or authoritative

impotence. Focusing on the humanist level, Nurse X offered a discussion of

management roles and corporate hierarchy, leadership is an ability which,

either inborn or, developed through hard work and ingenuity, presents the

members of the organization with a paragon to forging action toward

rational and collective goals. While it is the responsibility of managerial

personnel to issue directives, instructions and clarifications on goal-

orientation, she would argue, it is only a leader who can find ways to

motivate the members of an organization to fulfill expectations. In the

absence of proper leadership, it may be difficult to channel these

responsibilities toward the fulfillment of organizational expectations.

Thus, by finding ways to personally and professionally invest these

members into the shared goals of the organization, a manager can evolve

into a credible leader. This means that even not endowed with the inborn

virtues of a leader, one with a dedication and sensitivity to the mores of

an organization will likely find one's self inclined with more naturally

and reflexive leadership ability than that necessarily implied by the

theoretical discourse. For Nurse X, this is a condition which would be

highlighted by her initial struggle as a leader to overcome a core

personality trait.

With respect to the biggest challenge to her leadership, she would

note that it was often difficult for her to cede personal responsibilities.

She would report that "as a result of my strong drive to take a direct

part in leading organizational success, probably one of the greatest

challenges for me is delegation. I had been raised according to the idea

that the only way to get something done right is to do it one's self.

Though this is an appealing mantra for ensuring the above-mentioned policy

of engagement, I do require some balance to this perspective. I am still

sometimes reminding myself to trust that those around me will be

sufficiently endowed with knowledge and the ability to respond as

effectively as could I to any given situation. I would truly learn through

this position that a great leader is willing to see the abilities in

others. In nursing, this is so important because you really cannot do it

without the help of a qualified and dedicated staff of fellow nurses."

Here, Nurse X would provide further endorsement to the idea that we

have encountered through our course materials, which dictates that

delegation and the maintenance of a motivated and effective staff are both

key characteristic abilities of the qualified leader. For our interview

subject, this is a revelation which would come about only through honing of

cognizance and skill in this realm of leadership.

For the aspiring leaders and nursing leaders of the future, Nurse X

would highlight the overarching importance of proper team orientation where

responsibilities and charges are clear. A sense of efficiency is central

to the way the patient views those providing his healthcare, underscoring a

connection between organizational efficiency and patient outcome.

Efficiency and organization are important features of a nursing team,

particularly as they impact the experience for patients. Quality outcomes

in the hospital environment can have an essential impact on the quality of

standards perceived by patients. This is important as quality outcomes are

now seen to relate as much to patients' own perceptions and well being as

to genuine changes in clinical status. There is a clear relationship

between the patient perception and the standardization, or norming, of

practices amongst nurses, which can only be dictated through a respected

leader who is received with clarity and credibility and which can only be

achieved through a staff that is informed and educated.

On this point, Nurse X instructs the aspiring nursing leader that

"nurse managers and leaders must encourage the academic and personal career

development needs of nurses and healthcare providers, while also addressing

service requirements of primary interest to patients and public standards.

By educating the staff effectively, the hospital can ensure that its front

line employees will possess the knowledge and skills required to assist in

the proper administration of primary and emergency care." She would

continue on to contend that a facility will also thereby increase the

standard of care, improving the concurrence with quality standards which

are now part of the basic requirements to administrating a nursing team.

Education toward effective compliance with established standards will

therefore have the optimum effect of increasing service productivity. The

premise offered in her interview seems to denote opportunities for nurses

under effective leadership administration to gain professional advancement

within the healthcare facility. This will have a general impact on

improving team performance and individual dedication.

As current challenges in her working context are concerned, Nurse X

did describe this issue of ongoing education problem, most particularly

because a shortage of nurses on a national and international scale is

causing greater demand for ready nursing professionals. The result is that,

quite often, nursing standards must not be too stringent, lest they

eliminate much-needed candidates. This is, Nurse X would indicate, a

leadership challenge facing the whole… READ MORE

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