MN7185 - Effects of Transformational Leadership in Nursing care

Effects of Transformational Leadership in Nursing Care

The term transformational leadership was coined by Downton in 1973. It was conceptualized with four main elements by Bass in 1985. The elements are idealized influence( Trust gained by the leader by serving as a role model), Inspirational motivation ( organization of the path to achieve the visionary mission), Intellectual stimulation ( encouraging the innovation though competency training and current evidence) and Individualized consideration ( Supportive care and positive feedback).

In any health care system there is a context of shortage of nurses. The percentage of nurses quitting their job could be as high as 45% in western countries. The leadership practices of the nurse managers have got a direct impact of the nursing workforce development. The transformational leadership practices of nurse managers have a strong correlation  on many perspectives like nursing retention, job satisfaction, work-life balance, psychological wellbeing and improved quality of health care. 

The transformational leadership style greatly motivate the followers to perform more than expected and even beyond the capabilities. Successful transformational leaders possess dedicated and contended followers who feel empowered, supported and cared to achieve the organizational and their own success. These elements are very healthy to relieve the chaotic and stressful professional background in nursing care. 

The job satisfaction would depend on the positive or negative emotions towards his or her work. The transformational leaders success is correlated with their emotional intelligence and they are much more effective in managing stress and conflicts. They are also confident in capability of controlling life events to inculcate the focus , intellectual stimulation and motivation in the followers. Therefore the transformational leadership style invariably associated with higher job satisfaction. 

The health care services are facing the challenges of reforms and restructuring to meet the ever increasing demand for the quality of health care. It is associated with increased stress, decreased job satisfaction and decreased morale. It could also have negative impact on clinical care and patient outcomes. The charismatic qualities of the transformational leadership style is very applicable to keep the job satisfaction and organizational performance  in unstable conditions in evolving health care setup. 

Therefore it appears that the transformational leadership practices should be seriously taken in to consideration to be implemented by the  managers in order to safeguard continuing excellence in health care in any setup.

References

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4. Roberts-Turner R et al., Effects of leadership characteristics on pediatric registered nurses’ job satisfaction. Paediatric nursing 40(5) 236 -242.

5. Hullo S R, Gerstle D S, Transformational leadership and hospital restructuring : a descriptive study. Policy, Politics & nursing practice 5(4), 259-266.