Introduction
Being in power as a leader means that one can influence those who emulate them. As a nurse executive, to be in power means controlling other junior nursing staff and persuading them to support the efforts intended to achieve a particular goal. The only way a nurse executive can achieve this is by ensuring that they can influence co-workers. Without influence, it is not easy to achieve the long-term desired goal (Manning, 2016). It is proper to identify different leadership styles which nurse executives can employ to manage power effectively. This paper seeks to evaluate different organizational structures and how they affect the health care system and management of governance as a leader. Eventually, this paper aims at helping a researcher to evaluate how control of power as a leader is essential in ensuring effective service delivery.
Leadership Styles
Nurse leaders are always entrusted with the power to ensure that all activities are done according to the required standards. At the same time, the leading power should be used wisely. For leaders to be effective, their actions and performances should articulate the standards they set (Firth & Carroll, 2016). The behaviors that a leader displays will send a strong message to those they lead. Respect for management entails having strong values, such as inspiring, motivating, and positively influencing the employees.
The type of leadership style that a nurse executive can use is transformational governance. The transformational leadership model is the type in which the leader gives their subordinates a chance to think independently about how they can achieve a desirable goal effectively (Manning, 2016). Another type of leadership is the democratic leadership style, where the leader incorporates all employees in decision-making. They build an interactive relationship where employees can voice their concerns, opinions, and ideas freely. The leader provides them with feedback on issues because this type of leadership ensures that communication is two-way and, therefore, efficient. In Saint Louis Medical Centre, for effective service delivery and outcomes, the democratic leadership style is useful because there is a mutual working ground where the leaders participate freely.
Organizational Structure
For organizations to achieve their desired goals, there is the need to have systems that direct and outline how activities are done. These systems are part of the organizational structure. The structures determine the immense nursing activities and practices, such as the nurse leader’s information flow to employees (Nosratabadi, Bahrami, Palouzian & Mosavi, 2020). Organizational structure comes in many forms, the functional system being one of them. Functional structures are where the hospital categorizes employees based on their operational duties. A nurse executive is in charge of the nursing employees; hence, with the power to lead, information flow between employee-leader and leader-employee becomes effective (Kilburg & Donohue, 2015). A leader can use the appropriate leadership style to ensure unity and efficiency at work.
Another organizational structure that Saint Louis can employ is the divisional structure. Due to the medical center’s different activities, they all become a divisional structures whereby based on roles and functions that individuals hold they get categorized and become independent. The executive leader becomes answerable to the medical center’s Joint Managing Director (Neubert, Hunter & Tolentino, 2016). The management ensures effectiveness through the reduction of such cases when departments interfere with the activities of another. Eventually, the administration increases its ability to run the medical center and perform several tasks seamlessly. The organizational structure of choice is the divisional structure because, in major medical centers, it is hard to control everything at once. Hence, making each section independent ensures a positive competition between departments, which is beneficial for the overall Saint Louis Medical Centre operations.
Evidence
According to research done by Manning (2016), the choice of leadership style that a nurse manager decides to use on the employee would significantly influence how the active engagement will develop. Another research by Kilburg and Donohue (2015) on organizational structures concluded that the choice of administrative structures in any association, especially in health care departments, dramatically determines service delivery efficiency. A leader is responsible for their juniors to the stakeholders; therefore, the leadership style they decide on should reflect the healthcare system as a whole.
Conclusion
In conclusion, for leadership to be effective, it is vital to ensure that the type of leadership used is the one that fosters a good relationship between managers and subordinates. An effective leader understands that trust and communication are essential and that leadership power does not necessitate harshness to the employees but instead reasoning with their perspective. As a nurse executive, it is vital to have good relationships with the employees and the top management. Effective administration of power ensures the incorporation of all views and proper communication to facilitate decision-making. Effective leadership results in effective healthcare service delivery, which is the main goal that needs to be achieved.
References
Firth, J., & Carroll, B. (2016). Leadership and power. Abingdon-on-Thames, UK: Routledge.
Kilburg, R. R., & Donohue, M. D. (2015). Leadership and organizational behavior: A thermodynamic inquiry. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 66(4), 261. Web.
Manning, J. (2016). The influence of nurse manager leadership style on staff nurse work engagement. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 46(9), 438-443. Web.
Neubert, M. J., Hunter, E. M., & Tolentino, R. C. (2016). A servant leader and their stakeholders: When does organizational structure enhance a leader’s influence? The Leadership Quarterly, 27(6), 896-910. Web.
Nosratabadi, S., Bahrami, P., Palouzian, K., & Mosavi, A. (2020). Leader cultural intelligence and organizational performance. Cogent Business & Management, 7(1). Web.