Nurses are faced with difficult decisions regularly during the practice of their nursing profession. Nursing managers ought to adopt effective leadership styles which will guarantee them the best outcomes. A good grasp of leadership styles along with sufficient knowledge and support from other medical practitioners is necessary for the success of the nursing manager and the success of the work segment as a whole. An effective leadership style is associated with low turnover rate, motivated employees and better decisions. The democratic leadership style motivates employees by involving staff members actively in the decision-making process which makes them feel appreciated, which is in line with Drucker’s theory which dictates that leaders should allow nurses to be allowed to practice by managing themselves leading to low turnovers and higher productivity.
A nurse manager's knowledge on leadership styles has a direct influence on their unit’s performance and the job satisfaction of members of their unit. The democratic leadership style is considered one of the very important leadership styles by most nurses. The democratic leadership style is one of the commonly used leadership styles alongside others which include the visionary, affiliate and coaching leadership styles. A study conducted revealed that at least 42.4 percent of the nurses evaluated had a sufficient knowledge of the democratic leadership style, while another 54.3 percent of nurses demonstrated a rather sufficient knowledge of the leadership style (Soili Vesterinen, 2013). Nurses who were updating their education are also more likely to increase their knowledge on the democratic leadership style. The Democratic leadership allows other members of the unit to get actively involved in decisions concerning patients such as the delivery of care and cooperation with other personnel in the unit. The nurse manager is more of a team member than a leader to other members in the work unit . The nurse manager role is considered of secondary importance except in cases when the nurse manager is expected to make tough decisions. The decision-making process is simplified by factors which include work experience, sufficient knowledge as well as support from coworkers and supervisors.
The Democratic leader asks for support from other members of the work unit during the decision-making process, although they retain the final say in the decision-making process. The leader allows members to take control of all their duties by sharing the leadership responsibility with them. There are many advantages which are associated with the democratic leadership style. A positive work environment is more common with the leadership style as staff members feel more appreciated due to the amount of control that is handed over to them. Conflicts between the nurse manager and the staff are less likely since staff members express themselves more freely, and talking behind the back of the leader is less likely . The staff members are more supportive of their leader as decisions by the leader are perceived as their own. The group-based decision-making process anticipates both positive and negative aspects of the decision leading to better decisions. Actively engaged staff members often come up with more creative solutions to problems. The leadership experiences low turnovers which is a cost effective measure for the nurse manager (Lockwood, 2015). The disadvantages to the democratic leadership style include inefficiency and time consumption. Decisions that would require a short period will take the group a lot of time as they often involve discussions. The Democratic leadership is considered inefficient as it cuts into the patient’s time, and the long durations spent in the decision-making process are likely to have negative outcomes.
Nurses will be more productive if they are allowed to practice and manage themselves. According to Drucker, salaries have little or no influence on the recruitment and the retention of nurses . Drucker states that the problem with the nursing profession is that nurses are not allowed to practice, and are still being treated as scullery maids. Attitudes of doctors towards nurses should change so that the efficiency of nurses can improve. Medical practitioners need to focus on the professional role of nurses along with salary increments so as to improve the retention of nurses. The purpose of management is to achieve the institution's desired results. Management has to align its leadership styles with results as its primary objective and then proceed to realize these results. Drucker emphasizes the need for activity based processes which are more cost effective. Recruitment is a costly process which can be avoided with the use of the democratic leadership style which ensures high retention of nurses . Nurses can only be effective and professional if their leaders perceive them as assets (Swansburg & Swansburg, 2002). This can only be achieved if nurses are allowed to learn continuously, manage themselves and be autonomous which will result in highly productive work. Leaders cannot make changes, but instead, they can only influence change through their leadership styles. Strategic planning is an important aspect of leadership. Strategic planning dictates that leaders are properly informed of the effects of all their decisions.
In conclusion, the democratic leadership style is associated with low turnovers and highly motivated staff members since it adheres to Drucker’s leadership theory which emphasizes on allowing nurses to manage themselves and practice. The Democratic leader additionally anticipates all the effects of their decisions with the help of staff members which is an important aspect of strategic planning. The democratic leadership style is associated with positive outcomes and a positive environment. Drucker emphasizes the need for doctors and other medical practitioners to change their attitudes towards the nursing profession to improve their efficiency. The Democratic leadership is very popular with nurses and most nurses pursuing higher education increase their knowledge on the democratic leadership style.
References
Lockwood, W. (2015). Clinical Supervision; Leadership Styles. Retrieved from RN: http://www.rn.org/courses/coursematerial-252.pdf
Soili Vesterinen, 1. ,. (2013). Nurse Managers' Perceptions Related to Their Leadership Styles, Knowledge, and Skills in These Areas—A Viewpoint: Case of Health Centre Wards in Finland. National Centre of Biotechnological Information.
Swansburg, R. C., & Swansburg, R. J. (2002). Introduction to management and leadership for nurse managers. Boston: Jones and Bartlett.
