Leadership Styles in Nursing Practice

Leadership styles in Nursing Practice
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Leadership styles in Nursing Practice
The application of evidence-based nursing care practices is an essential tool in managing
effective patient care outcomes in health care and ensuring high productivity towards improved
care quality on patients. Leadership perspectives in health care have been essential in
investigating and improving care approach process. Enhancing effective leadership skills is
crucial in managing patient care issues (Dickey, Dismukes & Topor, 2014). Leadership in
nursing is a critical aspect which ensures that there is a coordinated and integrated care
approach for the patient. Leadership in nursing is essential in ensuring that care is delivered to
the patients. Over recent years various studies have been conducted with regard to leadership
styles and nursing practice have incorporated these various leadership styles in their practice.
Leadership styles offer morale, improved production, and positivity in workplace settings
(Kiesewetter et al., 2013). Nurses employ a wide variety of styles into their practices and often
seek to ensure success and positive outcomes. The dynamic environment of nursing practices
has led to the usage of various styles such as autocratic, laissez-faire, transformational and
authoritarian leadership styles in practice.
Authoritarian/Autocratic Leadership is demonstrated in situations where the decisions are
made without regard to the consideration of staff input. Use of negative reinforcement is the
typical application of enforcing the rules. In this leadership, knowledge is seen as a
fundamental source of power, with critical information being withheld among nurses. Further
errors and mistakes are not often regarded as an essence. In a positive angle, this leadership
style is essential in emergency situations and chaotic encounters where there is no time for
discussion especially in emergency states (Cummings et al., 2010).
The style is essential in enforcing policies and guidelines which promote the safety and
health outcomes of the patient; however, it does not promote any form of trust, communication,
and teamwork approach in nursing care practices. The essential decision styles in this
leadership category are not often made, but rather occur as a reactionary measure. It is widely
used by inexperience nurse leaders and those who are ending their careers, as they do not offer
any significant progress to the workforce (Courtney et al., 2015).
Effective autocratic leadership styles can be effective in making quick decisions without
any consultation of other team members and ensure that nursing practices progress which
ensures that there is improved patient outcome rather than deteriorating state of the patients.

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During emergencies and stressful patent situations, autocratic leaders tend to be more effective
and value leadership. The underlying disadvantage of this style entails a patient of abuse from
nurse leaders who have a strong personality. However, despite this, autocratic leadership in
nursing practice can tend to cultivate the rise of powerful personality types which stifle the
staffs and discourage creativity. New nurse’s graduates and registered nurses tend to react to
this leading to hampering the quality of patient care. Further, this form of leadership
discourages open communication process among subordinates and leaders which is
fundamental in nursing practice and affecting nursing outcomes on patient safety (Cummings,
Salomone & Wielgus, 2015).
Nurse leaders thus remain to be a crucial example for others either in a negative or
positive way. A nurse who engages in this type of leadership tends to make decisions and
directions on specific orders to the subordinates who discourage dissent or questions. This style
is essential in the performance of straight forward tasks and making sure that strict medical
adherences are followed in the nursing practice. Further, it is essential in emergency situations
where there is a need for a strong voice which offers a directional approach (Ortega et al.,
2018).
Laissez-faire leadership has been referred to as a ‘hands –off’ type of leadership which
guide staff management of the team. Studies have demonstrated that this type of leadership has
a negative impact on the safety of the patients and the overall satisfaction of the employee. This
form of leadership style has been regarded as an antithesis form of transformational leadership
and is often characterized by a lack of leadership. Studies and research have demonstrated a
negative perception view of this leadership style in medical fields (Yang, 2015).
Studies undertaken have demonstrated that this style is effective in offering highly
motivated and skilled staffs (Khan et al., 2015, Razzaq & Mujtaba, 2014). Other studies have
shown that laissez fair leadership style empowers employees and enhances the overall
motivation of workers in the nursing arena.
A significant impact of the nursing problem linked to this leadership style entails how
leaders are defined. It is more of definition which plays a fundamental role. In empowering the
team members, is essential for achieving an excellent process. Nurses do not require managers
to managing them. This, in essence, is a micromanagement tool in its practical aspects. Inter
linkage of micro management and employee performance is an average medium which ensures