Student Name
Capella University
NURS-FPX 5007 Leadership for Nursing Practice
Prof. Name
Date
Leadership Styles Application
This paper examines three leadership approaches—transformational, democratic, and transactional—and evaluates their relevance to addressing a healthcare workplace issue involving an underperforming employee. The scenario involves Marty, an experienced nurse facing personal challenges, who has displayed recurring behaviors such as tardiness, inattentiveness at her desk, and absenteeism. These actions have increased the workload for her colleagues, generating frustration and negatively affecting team morale. Additionally, departments reliant on Marty’s contributions have lodged complaints about her declining performance.
Despite her supervisor being aware of these issues, no meaningful corrective steps have been implemented, resulting in heightened stress among team members and potential risks to patient safety. In healthcare settings, addressing personnel performance problems is essential not only for maintaining quality care but also for fostering a supportive and accountable work environment. Effective leadership in such contexts ensures both staff well-being and optimal patient outcomes (Gashaye et al., 2023).
Major Tenets of Leadership Styles
To manage the challenges presented by Marty’s situation, three leadership styles offer distinct frameworks that guide intervention strategies and support team development. Each style emphasizes different mechanisms to motivate, engage, and improve employee performance.
Transformational Leadership
Transformational leadership focuses on inspiring and motivating employees by providing individualized attention and fostering positive change. Leaders employing this approach would engage with Marty to understand her personal difficulties and collaborate on solutions that restore her work engagement. By encouraging open communication, offering emotional support, and providing resources for work-life balance, transformational leadership nurtures a workplace culture where staff feel valued and understood. This approach has the added benefit of promoting overall morale and loyalty among team members (Tsapnidou et al., 2024).
Democratic Leadership
Democratic leadership emphasizes participation and collective decision-making. Leaders using this style facilitate forums where team members, including Marty, can discuss challenges and jointly develop solutions. By fostering inclusivity, democratic leadership allows employees to voice concerns, encourages shared accountability, and strengthens team cohesion. Engaging the team in problem-solving creates buy-in for any implemented strategies while considering the needs of all stakeholders (Qtait, 2023).
Transactional Leadership
Transactional leadership is structured and performance-driven, focusing on clear expectations, rules, and rewards. Leaders applying this approach would set defined standards for attendance, punctuality, and task completion. Clear consequences for noncompliance are communicated to ensure accountability and consistency. Although less relational, transactional leadership is effective in creating disciplined environments where measurable outcomes are prioritized (Mekonnen & Bayissa, 2023).
Particular Leadership Styles’ Effectiveness
The impact of each leadership style on the “Sleeping on the Job” scenario varies based on desired outcomes and team dynamics.
Transformational leadership offers empathy and morale enhancement, providing individualized support tailored to Marty’s needs. Strategies such as flexible scheduling, access to mental health resources, or phased reintegration into responsibilities can improve engagement and foster a supportive team environment (Tsapnidou et al., 2024).
Democratic leadership encourages shared responsibility. By involving the team in discussions, resentment can be alleviated, and solutions are more likely to be accepted collectively. Marty’s peers can express frustrations while Marty explains her circumstances, promoting mutual understanding and team cohesion (Qtait, 2023).
Transactional leadership emphasizes prompt action and rule enforcement. Implementing performance improvement plans and monitoring compliance ensures accountability and fairness, particularly when quick behavioral corrections are necessary. However, this style may overlook underlying personal challenges that require emotional support (Mekonnen & Bayissa, 2023).
Positive and Negative Implications of Each Leadership Style
The advantages and disadvantages of each leadership approach can be summarized as follows:
| Leadership Style | Positive Implications | Negative Implications |
|---|---|---|
| Transformational | Encourages empathy, motivation, and strong morale. Enhances engagement and performance. | Risk of perceived favoritism. May generate resentment among staff absorbing extra work. |
| Democratic | Promotes team participation and shared accountability. Improves communication and cohesion. | Decision-making may be slower. Marty may feel singled out or attacked in group discussions. |
| Transactional | Establishes clear expectations and performance metrics. Promotes discipline and fairness. | Overemphasis on rules can alienate employees. Does not address underlying personal issues. |
By applying transformational leadership, a leader can create a supportive environment that enables Marty to recover professionally. However, excessive empathy may be viewed as favoritism if team members continue to carry additional burdens (Lin et al., 2020). Democratic leadership empowers all participants, fostering long-term solutions but may lead to emotionally charged interactions that affect Marty’s mental state. Transactional leadership ensures structure and accountability but may fail to resolve the root causes of underperformance, potentially harming morale (Richards, 2020).
Conclusion
Addressing Marty’s performance challenges effectively requires thoughtful application of leadership strategies. Transformational leadership provides compassionate, individualized support that can reengage struggling employees. Democratic leadership encourages collaborative decision-making, strengthening team cohesion and shared responsibility. Transactional leadership enforces structure and accountability, crucial when immediate behavioral correction is needed. By strategically combining these approaches, healthcare leaders can cultivate environments that support employee growth while maintaining high standards of patient care and operational efficiency.
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. P., 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/
NURS FPX 5007 Assessment 1 Leadership Styles Application
Qtait, M. (2023). Head nurses’ leadership styles and nurses’ performance systematic review. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 18(1), 100564. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijans.2023.100564
Richards, A. (2020). Exploring the benefits and limitations of transactional leadership in healthcare. Nursing Standard, 35(12), 46–50. https://doi.org/10.7748/ns.2020.e11593
Tsapnidou, E., Kelesi, M., Rovithis, M., Katharakis, G., Gerogianni, G., Dafogianni, C., Toylia, G., Fasoi, G., & Stavropoulou, A. (2024). Transformational leadership—quality achievements and benefits for the healthcare organizations: A scoping review. Hospitals, 1(1), 87–103. https://doi.org/10.3390/hospitals1010008