Introduction
The choice of an appropriate leadership framework defines the efficacy of nurses’ performance and, therefore, contributes to a change in patient recovery rates. Furthermore, the adoption of an appropriate leadership approach will help promote the importance of continuous learning among nurses. Creating the environment in which nurses will strive to improve their skills and acquire new knowledge on a regular basis, thus, developing the ability to meet the needs of diverse populations is crucial, which is why the transformational Leadership Theory (TLT) must be used in the contemporary nursing setting.
Key Tenets of the Transformational Leadership Theory: Description
According to the existing definition, TLT is a framework that allows encouraging staff members to accept the suggested value system and quality standards so that they could improve their performance rates and meet the needs of target populations (Lin, MacLennan, Hunt, & Cox, 2015). One must give the identified theory credit for serving as a perfect tool for setting expectations and compelling nurses to excel in their performance. By emphasizing the significance of continuous improvement, the identified approach builds the basis for coaching nurses and introducing them to the concepts of cooperation, responsibility, and decision-making, thus, helping them develop professional independence (Gillet, Fouquereau, Bonnaud-Antignac, Mokounkolo, & Colombat, 2013).
Theory Application: Examples from Current Workplace Setting
The adoption of the TLT framework in the environment of a nursing facility will imply that the local staff should be provided with an expanded set of responsibilities, and enhanced value system, and independence in decision-making relevant to their work routine. Thus, nurses will feel encouraged to engage in the process of learning new skills and meet the needs of patients. By being transparent about the decisions that they make, leaders will invite nurses to participate in a discussion and build a dialogue based on mutual respect and trust.
The identified approach would be a perfect solution to the problems that could be observed in the nursing facility. Although the services provided at the hospital could be deemed as satisfactory, the lack of a patient-centered approach and the negligence of cultural factors defining the well-being of the target population was glaring. Being unmotivated, nurses did not want to engage in a consistent acquisition of new information about the target population and their unique needs, and neither did they strive to improve their skills. The application of the TLT approach would have helped introduce nurses to a system of values based on a patient-centered approach. Thus, the foundation for meeting the needs of a diverse population would have been built successfully.
Moreover, the productivity of the nurses would have been increased significantly. By fostering the principles of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and corporate ethics as the primary factors defining decision-making processes in the identified setting, one would have made it possible for nurses to focus on the unique needs of patients. Thus, a rapid rise in the number of positive patient outcomes would have occurred (Ross, Fitzpatrick, Click, Krouse, & Clavelle, 2014).
The approach would have also helped reduce costs greatly. With the help of the TLT framework, one would have reduced the levels of waste significantly and contributed to a rapid rise in customer satisfaction levels. Consequently, an opportunity for reducing expenses would have emerged.
Finally, the application of the TLT-based strategy would have helped develop an efficient coaching paradigm so that nurses could acquire the necessary skills and knowledge within a relatively short amount of time. The process of coaching would have required taking four key steps, i.e., stating the urgency of change, setting new performance expectations, convincing the participants to make the necessary personal adjustments by designing a role model for nurses to follow, and controlling the change with the help of reports, supervision, etc.
Addressing the Needs of Diverse and Global Populations with Transformational Leadership
As stressed above, it is the focus on the unceasing knowledge acquisition that makes TLT so useful in tending to the needs of a diverse population. Seeing that the framework compels nurses both to use a patient-centered approach and learn new knowledge and skills, the foundation for establishing a multicultural dialogue and avoiding misconceptions due to differences in cultures can be created. For instance, when tending to the needs of patients from a Hispanic community, one will have to adopt a TLT approach so that the skills necessary to meet the needs of the target community could be identified and that a cost-containment strategy for training the staff could be designed. Furthermore, the TLT framework will help enhance staffing productivity by offering nurses paid job training and introducing mentorship programs (Spano-Szekely, Quinn, Clavelle, & Fitzpatrick, 2016). Updated skills and the ability to engage in active communication with the target population will help nurses improve patient outcomes significantly.
Conclusion: Transforming the Mindset of Nurses to Address Current Problems
In the modern globalized environment, reinforcing the significance of continuous knowledge acquisition and building a dialogue with patients is crucial to the improvement of nursing service quality. Therefore, the adoption of the TLT strategy as the means of increasing the number of positive patient outcomes can be considered a rather reasonable decision. TLT will guide nurses toward a more responsible attitude toward their responsibilities, as well as the active use of skills for multicultural communication.
References
Gillet, N., Fouquereau, E., Bonnaud-Antignac, A., Mokounkolo, R., & Colombat, P. (2013). The mediating role of organizational justice in the relationship between transformational leadership and nurses’ quality of work life: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 50(10), 1359-1367. Web.
Lin, P., Maclennan, S., Hunt, N., & Cox, T. (2015). The influences of nursing transformational leadership style on the quality of nurses’ working lives in Taiwan: A cross-sectional quantitative study. BMC Nursing, 14(1).Web.
Ross, E. J., Fitzpatrick, J. J., Click, E. R., Krouse, H. J., & Clavelle, J. T. (2014). Transformational leadership practices of nurse leaders in professional nursing associations. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 44(4), 201-206.Web.
Spano-Szekely, L., Griffin, M. T., Clavelle, J., & Fitzpatrick, J. J. (2016). Emotional intelligence and transformational leadership in nurse managers. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 46(2), 101-108. Web.