The Importance Of Management And Leadership In Nursing

“A good health system delivers quality services to all people, when and where they need them” (WHO, 2017). Many countries have identified the need to improve healthcare in order to provide service users with the high quality, safe and reliable care (HIQA, 2012). Quality improvement (QI) involves an input from everyone including government, healthcare professionals, patients, researchers, health care providers and educational institutions. The goal is to deliver change and improvements that will lead to a better experience of care delivered, better patient outcomes and continued development of staff supports in the delivery of care (Swensen et al., 2013). In this essay, the student will briefly discuss the condition the Irish healthcare system

Management and leadership are often used interchangeably and despite the concepts often being intertwined, Jennings, Scalzi, Rodgers and Keane (2007) argue that there are different processes and characteristics and it is important to differentiate between the two theories. Management reflects efficiency, reaching organisational goals. Based on Fayol’s (1949) principles of management, there are five key principles of management in nursing: planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling. Management represents authority however, leadership applies to everyone. Leaders don’t necessarily hold an allocated position; however they are recognised as highly influential people particularly among their peers (Daft,

In a study of leadership and management within the National Health Service (NHS), the Kings Fund (2011) leadership is a shared concept which can’t rely solely on any one individual. In order for leadership to be effective it must be shared among teams and organisations. Timmons (2015) and Hersey (2008) elaborate how leadership within nursing is aimed at influencing a team and fosters a culture of continual learning and development, a culture that ensures that patients are the main focus to improving the planning and delivery of safe and compassionate quality care. While there are many types and theories of leadership. The two main types of contemporary leadership are as transactional and transformational. Transactional leaders give directions and set goals; they are task orientated and use rewards to meet goals, controlling both situations and followers. Transformational leaders are able to encourage and motivate performance by empowering others through their ability to influence attitudes (Marquis and Huston, 2012; McGuire and Kennerly,