2 - Nurse Managers As Transformational and Transactional Leaders
2 - Nurse Managers As Transformational and Transactional Leaders
2 - Nurse Managers As Transformational and Transactional Leaders
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ONTINUING
DUCATION SERIES
Elaine McGuire
Susan M. Kennerly
Nurse Managers as
Transformational and
Transactional Leaders
Executive Summary
In an era when nurse managers are both critical to and
responsible for retention and
performance, leadership style
is critical to achieve both outcomes.
Transformational leaders move
beyond the management of
transaction to motivate performance beyond expectations through the ability to
influence attitudes.
In a comparison of nurse manager and staff nurse assessments of leadership style,
nurse managers rated themselves as more transformational than their staff perceived.
Staff nurses who perceived
their manager as more transformational also demonstrated a higher organizational
commitment.
While transformational leaders are more effective, nurse
manager performance standards are often rooted in
transactional characteristics.
Nurse managers can be
taught transformational leadership skills including establishing clear expectations, creating a shared vision, and ultimately inspiring stronger
organizational commitment.
HE
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Review of Literature
Most of the research conducted
to date has focused on the role of
nurse leaders in upper-level positions in the health care organization (McDaniel & Wolf, 1992;
Stordeur, Vandenberghe, & Dhoore,
2000). A decrease in the availability of RNs needed to sustain and
replenish the current workforce
has triggered a new look at the
nurse leaders role throughout the
organization. Most recently, the
role of nurse managers and executives has been re-examined to better understand which leader is best
positioned in the organization to
exert the most positive influence
on nursing staff relationships
(Ohman, 1999).
Organizations turn to the
leader for solutions to workforce
and other resource issues that will
help the organization achieve and
maintain a competitive advantage.
Nursings current interests in organizational leadership are focused
on recruiting, retaining, and motivating staff and ensuring patient
safety. The nurse leaders role is
pivotal to achieving these outcomes and to rebuilding the trust
and respect that staff must have in
managers at all levels of the organization (Laschinger & Finegan,
2005). Maintaining a positive work
environment and building a team
effort are key to achieving patient
safety (Institute of Medicine, 2004).
Positive health care work environments must be in place to attract
and retain staff (Walters, 2005). The
current shortage of RNs at the bedside magnifies the importance of
having strong, clear, supportive,
and inspirational leadership across
the health care organization.
The interdependence of man-
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Figure 1.
The Relationship Between Primary Leadership Style and Organizational Outcome
Leader
Follower
Behaviors
Charismatic
Inspirational
motivation
Intellectual stimulation
Individualized
consideration
Shared vision
Increased self-worth/
self-esteem
Challenging/
meaningful work
Coached/mentored
Feels valued
Transactional
Leadership
Contingent reward
Management-byexception (active)
Management-byexception (passive)
Laissez-faire
Leadership
A non-transaction
Nothing happens
No followers because
there is no leader
Transformational
Leadership
Organizational Outcome
Results in a Competitive
Advantage
Increased loyalty
Increased organizational
commitment
Increased job satisfaction
Increased morale
Increased job performance
Maintains the
Status Quo
Contributes to
Organizational Demise
No decisions made
Responsibilities ignored
No purposeful interactions
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Purpose
The purpose of this study was
to explore the transformational and
transactional leadership characteristics of nurse managers in relation
to the organizational commitment
of RNs working on their respective
unit(s). Each managers predominant leadership style was self-identified and then re-examined in contrast to staffs perceptions of the
leadership style used.
Research Questions
1. What is the relationship between the nurse managers selfassessment and the RNs
assessment of the manager as it
relates to transformational and
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Sample
Data Collection
Methodology
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All materials, such as cover letters, demographic forms, and questionnaires were prepared in
advance of site meetings and distributed to the nurse managers.
Similar packets were also given to
the nurse managers for distribution
to their staff nurses who agreed to
participate. Each study participant
received a cover letter that provided an overview of the study,
including the risks and benefits of
participation
and
provisions
regarding confidentiality and
anonymity. Completion and return
of the survey questionnaire indicated consent to participate. A coding
system was employed to preserve
anonymity and permit the grouping of data in the aggregate.
Measurement Instruments
All participants completed a
demographic form that included
specific questions related to work
and organizational factors. The
Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) Form 5X (Bass &
Avolio, 2000) was used to measure
transformational and transactional
leadership characteristics. This 45item questionnaire with 12 subscales uses a frequency rating with
scoring that ranges, for this study,
from 1 (not at all) to 5 (frequently, if
not always). Prior confirmatory factor analysis, the goodness of fit
index, and reliability scores (Bass &
Avolio, 2000) indicated that the
MLQ is both a reliable and valid
instrument for measuring transformational and transactional leadership characteristics. When scored,
the resulting values indicate the
leadership characteristics most frequently used and the predominant
leadership style. Two versions of
the MLQ were used in this study.
The leader form was completed by
the nurse managers as a self-assessment, while the staff nurses used
the rater form to assess the leadership characteristics of their managers.
The organizational commitment of the staff nurse participants
was measured using the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire
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Table 1.
Descriptive Statistics for Measurement Instruments by Group
Nurse Manager Group (n=63)
Instrument
SD
Range *
SD
Range *
3.89
0.59
1.00-4.75
2.90
0.72
0.75-3.75
4.12
0.55
2.50-5.00
3.73
0.91
0.50-5.00
Inspirational Motivation
4.13
0.53
2.25-5.00
3.97
0.87
0.75-5.00
Intellectual Stimulation
4.12
0.53
2.25-5.00
3.47
0.99
0.75-5.00
Individualized Consideration
4.28
0.44
3.00-5.00
3.58
1.06
0.00-5.00
Contingent Reward
3.92
0.44
2.75-5.00
3.73
0.99
0.75-5.00
Management-by-Exception (A)
2.67
0.62
1.25-4.25
2.87
0.93
0.50-5.00
Management-by-Exception (P)
2.01
0.58
1.00-3.25
2.14
0.92
0.00-5.00
Laissez-faire
1.80
0.63
1.00-3.25
1.80
0.86
0.50-4.75
Extra Effort
3.86
0.64
1.00-5.00
3.61
1.17
0.00-5.00
Effectiveness
4.13
0.47
2.50-5.00
3.87
1.03
0.00-5.00
Satisfaction
4.18
0.56
1.50-5.00
3.97
1.09
0.00-5.00
160.13
11.88
119.0-180.0
150.98
26.93
63.0-198.0
Additional Subscales:
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