Different Leadership Styles in Nursing

This article discusses the different leadership styles in nursing, including autocratic, laissez-faire, transactional, and transformational leadership. It explores the advantages and disadvantages of each style and provides examples of when they may be effective. Understanding these leadership styles can help nurse leaders improve teamwork and communication in healthcare settings.

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Nursing leadership
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Introduction
Every nurse dreams of becoming a leader at one given point. There are different
leadership styles currently in use in nursing. They include autocratic, laissez-faire,
transformational and transactional leadership styles (Zampieron, Spanio, Bernardi, Milan, &
Buja, 2012). Good leadership style enhances teamwork, communication and trust which
collectively improves the quality of healthcare. It is therefore necessary for all nurse leaders to
understand different leadership styles and utilize them at the right time or environment.
Discussion
Authoritarian/Autocratic Leadership
An autocrat nurse leader is the boss and there is no compromise. This is a leadership style
where the nurse manager makes all the decisions in the department. Furthermore, the nurse
leader also issues specific order and directions to team members (Lu, Zhao, & While, 2019).
There are very minimal questions and dissent in this type of leadership. Likewise, it is
characterized by minimal tolerance to any mistake and the perpetrators of the same.
In as much several studies discourage the Authoritarian or autocratic leadership, it works
best in certain scenarios. A good example where autocratic serves best in nursing is if there is a
straightforward task (Manning, 2016). Another example is if there is the need to adhere or to
stick to strict medical guidelines or standards. In Australia for example, there are set standards
that all nurses should adhere to .Autocratic leadership can therefore assist in such cases (Merrill,
2015). However, this style cannot work if the objective of the nurse leader is to create trust and
teamwork among team members. It cannot also work if there is the need to encourage creative
problem solving (Tyczkowski et al., 2015). In order to become a good leader with this leadership

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style, one has to be very sensitive and only apply where it is needed and not on every scenario.
Laissez Faire Leadership
Laissez-faire leadership is a form of leadership whereby the nurse leader delegates duties
to other members. This is actually not one of the best leadership styles around since several
studies have established that it leads to low productivity within the hospitals (Albagawi, 2019). It
is one of the leading causes of medical errors in wards (Cope & Murray, 2017). However, the
style has some benefits. Since the leadership styles allows group members to make decisions on
their own, tasks can be done in a more effective and efficient manner unlike if the nurse leaders
made sole decisions (Alloubani & Akhu-Zaheya, 2018). In order for one to be a good leader
utilizing the Laissez Faire theory, he/she has to shy off delegating sensitive duties but only allow
the members engage in the decision making process. A good example of Laissez fare theory in
action is asking members to come up with effective ways to schedule their shifts (Abdelhafiz,
Alloubani, & Almatari, 2015). It becomes easy for the team members to organize themselves
than the nurse leader since they are in a better position to know when they can be available or
not.
Transactional Leadership
Transactional leadership according to studies, is where a leader enhances compliance
among nurses through both rewards and punishment (Lorber, Treven, & Mumel, 2016). The aim
or rather the objective of this leadership style is to ensure a smooth workflow among members.
In order for one to become a good transactional leader in nursing, he/she must be able to set
goals and provide feedback on performance (McCay, Lyles, & Larkey, 2018). Furthermore, they
should be in position to focus on improving efficiency or existing procedures. Finally, they
should be able to respond to deviations from normal by either rewards or punishment (Dorgham,

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2013). A good example is if one of the nurses makes a mistake like a medical error, he/she can
be punished by being demoted. On the other hand, if a nurse achieves something, then the nurse
can be promoted.
Transformational Leadership
Transformational leadership is a style of leadership where the leader works with team
members to identify any change that is needed and creates a vision to lead the change by
inspiring or motivating employees (Boamah, Spence Laschinger, Wong, & Clarke, 2018).
Several studies recommend this type of leadership style in nursing. In order for one to be a good
transformational leader in nursing, he, she has to adhere to the key components of this leadership
theory (Cummings et al., 2018). They include modelling the way, encouraging the heart,
inspiring a shared vision, enabling others to act and finally challenging the process (Fischer,
2016). Modelling the way involves a nurse leader acting as an example for others to emulate.
This includes using open communication as well as enthusiasm to enable nursing excellence and
patient care (Weng, Huang, Chen, & Chang, 2013). Encouraging the heart on the other hand
involves appreciating and celebrating individual achievements. Inspiring a vision involves
envisioning the vision to yourself as a leader then describing it to other nurses to elicit
excitement (Echevarria, Patterson, & Krouse, 2016). Enabling others to act involves engaging
other nurses in decision making and allowing them to participate in new opportunities (Masood
& Afsar, 2017). A good example of transformational leadership is sending congratulatory
messages to any nurse who achieves certification and posting his/her picture at the department to
encourage the nurse and other nurses.

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Conclusion
In every organization, there must be an individual at the top to guide, control and link
different members with the aim of achieving the set or desired objective. That person is nursing,
is a nurse leader. However, leadership is quite diverse in nature with different leadership styles
each with its advantages and disadvantages. A transformational leadership style for example,
might be good in a certain situation while autocratic leadership might be effective in a contrary
situation or scenario. It is therefore important that all nurses comprehend the different leadership
styles and then link them to an appropriate environment or scenario to achieve optimum
healthcare delivery to the patient.

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