Leadership and Management Effective Approaches

Although the phrases leaders and managers are used interchangeably

There are clear differences in how they address problems, and this is no different in health care.

Nurse turnover: A pressing concern

Nurse turnover is one of the most pressing concerns confronting nursing management and executives today. It refers to the unfavorable trend of nursing professionals quitting their professions. It is disruptive and costly for health care administrators and leaders, especially when it comes to employing new nurses and training them to ensure that they offer the services required in a desirable manner that improves health care outcomes. Some of the reasons that make nurses leave their jobs include returning to school or their desire for promotion or better working and remuneration conditions. For nursing managers and leaders, the issue of nurse turnover presents unique challenges, and each of them uses a different approach in addressing the issue.

Differences in approach to nurse turnover

According to Kelly (2011) leaders create change while managers are all about controlling to bring about order and consistency. Indeed, this difference presents a way in which managers and leaders would approach the issue of nurse turnover differently. A nurse leader will create change by establishing organizational direction and motivating the nurses to establish a desired change to tackle the issue. The nurse manager, on the other hand, will plan, budget and staff as a way of dealing with nurse turnover. For example, the manager will discuss with the human resource to budget for the recruitment of new nurses once others have left. The leader’s approach to the problem is in line with the transformational leadership theory which advances the view that leaders are expected to motivate others in line with the desired values of the organization. In general, a leader will aim to establish long-term measures to deal with the issue while the manager will focus on solving the problem once it occurs.

Administering and innovating approaches

Additionally, managers and leaders would also differ in their approach to the nurse turnover issue in terms of administering and innovating. According to Kelly and Tazbir (2013) managers implement changes while leaders are tasked with innovating the required change. In this essence, leaders will be expected to come up with programs that will reduce the rates of nurse turnover in health care. For example, the leader will identify new methods of motivation and pass them down to the managers with the expectation that the issue will be addressed. The nurse manager, on the other hand, will administer the changes as recommended by the leader to ensure that the problem of turnover is ended. For instance, if the leader suggested that the nurses should be given incentives such as scholarships to work and study part-time, this has to be implemented. In general, the nurse leaders and managers will differ in their approach to dealing with the issue as one innovates while the other implements.

Direct contact with employees

At the same time, nurse managers are the first-line supervisors for the nursing personnel in health care facilities while leaders do not necessarily have direct contact with the employees (Klainberg and Dirshcel, 2010). This presents another way that leaders and managers would differ when approaching the issue of nurse turnover. The manager will talk to the nurses and try to unearth the reasons that have contributed to the turnover. The leader, on the other hand, will require the manager to find out the underlying problems that are contributing to the problem and report back to them. However, in some cases, the leader may not assign the task to the manager and prefer to find out themselves so that they can come up with realistic solutions. According to Kelly (2011), one of the primary characteristics of a leader is delegation, while the leader may delegate the nurse turnover problem to the nurse, the latter cannot do the same due to direct contact with the employees.

Short and long-term perspectives

Kelly and Tazbir (2013) note that managers tend to have a short-term view while leaders, on the other hand, have a long-term view to solving a problem. For example, in the nurse turnover problem, the manager will come up with short-term solutions such as hiring nurses on a contractual basis. Moreover, the manager may decide to expand the responsibilities of the existing nurses to ensure that nurse turnover is addressed in the short-term. Conversely, leaders will often try to establish long-term solutions to ensure that the issue of nurse turnover in health care facilities is reduced. For example, the leader will introduce programs that are aimed at enhancing the retention rates of nurses in health care. Additionally, the leader may also decide to introduce work-life balance programs to ensure that the nurses’ professional lives do not interfere with their personal lives (Huber, 2013). In general, nurse managers and leaders differ in terms of their short and long-term perspectives.

Preference for leadership approach

In my estimation, the approach that best fits my personal and professional philosophy is leadership. Firstly, this approach would suit me given that I have the attributes to become a nurse leader. For example, I am an individual that enjoys coming up with solutions to problems, and being a leader will give me such an opportunity. Further, I also focus on the long-term rather than being short-term. I tend to believe that as a leader, solutions to problems should be long-term; if they are short, the problem will keep recurring. In general, leadership better suits my style unlike management.

Working together for better health outcomes

Conclusively, managers and leaders in health care differ in the way they approach problems, and this is no different when it comes to the issue of nurse turnover. Leaders will innovate while managers will implement the change to solve the problem of turnover. At the same time, managers will tend to focus on the short-term while leaders will focus on the long-term. The other difference is that managers will deal directly with the employees to solve the issue while leaders will delegate to the managers. At the end of the day, however, managers and leaders must work together to realize better health outcomes.

References

Huber, D. (2013). Leadership and nursing care management. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Kelly, P., & Tazbir, J. (2011). Nursing leadership & management. Cengage learning.

Kelly, P. (2013). Essentials of nursing leadership & management. Cengage learning.

Kainberg, M., & Dirschel, K. M. (2010). Today’s nursing leader: managing, succeeding, excelling. Jones & Bartlett Learning.