NURS FPX 5007 Assessment 1 Leadership Styles Application

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Capella university

NURS-FPX 5007 Leadership for Nursing Practice

Prof. Name

Date

Leadership Styles Application

Effectively addressing workplace challenges in healthcare requires selecting appropriate leadership styles to promote staff well-being, accountability, and optimal patient outcomes. This analysis examines three leadership styles—Transformational, Democratic, and Transactional Leadership—that could be applied to a complex managerial challenge involving an experienced nurse, Marty. She has been struggling with personal difficulties that have led to repeated tardiness, absenteeism, and sleeping at work. These behaviors have caused frustration among her colleagues, who feel overburdened by covering her responsibilities, and complaints from other departments regarding her performance. Although her supervisor is aware of these concerns, no significant action has been taken, resulting in a tense work environment. Implementing effective leadership strategies is crucial to restoring team morale and ensuring high-quality patient care (Gashaye et al., 2023).

Major Tenets of Leadership Styles

Different leadership styles offer unique approaches to managing workplace challenges. The following discussion explores the characteristics of three leadership styles and how they could address the issues surrounding Marty’s performance.

Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership focuses on inspiring and motivating employees to reach their full potential by fostering a positive work environment. Leaders using this style seek to understand their employees’ personal and professional challenges, offering necessary support and resources. In Marty’s case, a transformational leader could acknowledge her struggles and provide support to help her improve her work-life balance. Open communication and encouragement could enhance team morale and mitigate resentment among her colleagues, ultimately fostering a sense of unity and motivation in the workplace (Tsapnidou et al., 2024).

Democratic Leadership

Democratic leadership emphasizes collaboration, inclusivity, and shared decision-making. Leaders using this approach engage employees in discussions to address workplace concerns, promoting accountability and ownership among team members. Applying this style to Marty’s situation, a democratic leader would encourage an open conversation between Marty and her colleagues to explore possible solutions that benefit everyone. By including the team in decision-making, the leader could reduce tension, improve trust, and ensure that Marty’s challenges are managed without overburdening her coworkers (Qtait, 2023).

Transactional Leadership

Transactional leadership is structured around clear expectations, rewards, and consequences. This approach is focused on maintaining order and enforcing policies that promote productivity. In Marty’s case, a transactional leader would set specific attendance and performance expectations while outlining the consequences of failing to meet these standards. This approach could help establish accountability and ensure that workplace responsibilities are distributed fairly. While transactional leadership provides clarity and structure, it may not address the underlying personal challenges affecting Marty’s performance (Mekonnen & Bayissa, 2023).

Effectiveness of Leadership Styles

Each leadership style offers distinct advantages in managing Marty’s performance concerns. Transformational leadership would be particularly effective in fostering a supportive environment where Marty feels valued and motivated to improve. By addressing her personal struggles with empathy and encouragement, a transformational leader could boost her commitment to the organization and enhance workplace morale (Tsapnidou et al., 2024).

Democratic leadership, on the other hand, would ensure that both Marty and her colleagues have a voice in finding solutions. By involving the entire team in decision-making, this approach could help balance workload distribution while reducing resentment. Encouraging open communication could also enhance teamwork and create a more inclusive work environment (Qtait, 2023).

Finally, transactional leadership would establish clear performance expectations and enforce workplace policies, ensuring accountability. While this method provides structure, it lacks a personal touch and may not address Marty’s underlying struggles. However, when combined with elements of other leadership styles, transactional leadership can contribute to a more disciplined and productive workforce (Mekonnen & Bayissa, 2023).

Table Format: Leadership Styles and Their Implications

Leadership Style	Positive Implications	Negative Implications
Transformational Leadership	– Creates a supportive and motivating work environment. – Encourages employee development and personal growth. – Enhances team morale and unity.	– Perceived favoritism if one employee receives more attention than others. – Some employees may resist the change, leading to dissatisfaction. – Requires significant time and effort from leaders (Lin et al., 2020).
Democratic Leadership	– Encourages inclusivity and teamwork. – Reduces workplace tension by allowing employees to share their concerns. – Promotes accountability through shared decision-making.	– Decision-making may be time-consuming. – Employees might struggle to reach a consensus, leading to delays. – Could cause stress for Marty if she feels singled out in discussions (Qtait, 2023).
Transactional Leadership	– Provides clear expectations and consequences. – Enhances accountability and productivity. – Maintains workplace discipline and consistency.	– Lacks emotional connection and support for employees. – May not address underlying personal issues. – Could lead to a rigid work environment, reducing flexibility (Richards, 2020).

Conclusion

Addressing Marty’s performance challenges requires a leadership approach that balances empathy, collaboration, and accountability. Transformational leadership fosters motivation and growth, democratic leadership promotes teamwork and inclusivity, and transactional leadership ensures structure and discipline. A combination of these leadership styles may be the most effective way to support Marty while maintaining a productive and positive healthcare environment. By implementing an appropriate leadership strategy, managers can enhance team morale, ensure fair workload distribution, and maintain high-quality patient care.

References

Gashaye, M., Tilahun, D., Belay, A., & Bereka, B. (2023). Perceived utilization of leadership styles among nurses. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 16(1), 215–224. https://doi.org/10.2147/rmhp.s388966

Lin, C. pei, Xian, J., Li, B., & Huang, H. (2020). Transformational leadership and employees’ thriving at work: The mediating roles of challenge-hindrance stressors. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01400

Mekonnen, M., & Bayissa, Z. (2023). The effect of transformational and transactional leadership styles on organizational readiness for change among health professionals. Sage Open Nursing, 9(9). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10336755/