Leadership Style in Nursing Management

Nursing consists of many management and leadership opportunities. However, not every nurse is suitable for a position in which they lead or manage others. There are various styles of leadership, some of which are effective. An institution’s leadership has an impact on the quality of care provided to patients, as well as the attitude and values of the staff. In fact, “effective leadership among nurse managers has been associated with staff nurse job satisfaction and retention” (Azaare & Gross, 2011).

“The nature of leadership style in nursing management” written by John Azaare and Janet Gross discusses a study conducted to examine the various leadership styles of nurse managers and the views of the staff nurses on those methods. The study took place at two hospitals located in Ghana, Africa, where it has been suggested that within the organization of nursing leadership there is a deficiency of knowledge. There is not one specific style of leadership used among the nurse managers in Ghana.

This study began with a focus on answering three research questions pertaining to the character of the leadership style used by nurse managers, the opinion of the staff nurses regarding the leadership approaches, and the suitability of the leadership style for quality and efficient health care. The research design used was ethnography in which in-depth interviews took place that were semi-structured and flexible. Key informants, defined as staff nurses who worked closely with the nurse manager, nurses from hospital one, and nurses form hospital two were asked open-ended questions in a one-on-one basis to promote honesty.

At the first hospital nine units where nurses worked in shifts were under the leadership of a nurse manager. ...

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...d be taught how to effectively lead others. Perhaps being in charge and managing a nursing unit for a day, under supervision, would be a good learning activity for students.

Nurses who are interested in being a manager should be required to undergo leadership training before being considered for the position. If a nurse is already in a management position, but has not undergone leadership training, they should be offered a course.

Regardless of how one looks at it, effective leadership is essential to provide safe, competent care to patients.

Works Cited

Azaare, J., and Gross, J. (2011). The nature of leadership style in nursing management. British Journal of Nursing (BJN), 20(11), 672-680. Retrieved January 11, 2012 from http://cgez.waynecc.edu:2176/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=bf2057e4-de76-4f82-b311-e8e653e444be%40sessionmgr10&vid=2&hid=20.