Individual Leadership Styles

Individual Leadership Styles
Nursing leaders and their style of leadership can be the determining factor in the success of a hospital. For a leader to be successful they must find ways to motivate their staff to work at their highest potential and work toward the goals and vision of the hospital. There are many different leadership styles that produce various responses from employees. I have chosen to compare the transactional and the transformational styles of leadership.
The transactional leadership model is simply a reward for performance philosophy. If the work is done well the employee receives a reward and if the work is not done well the employee is punished or suffers consequences (Curtis & O’Connell, 2011).   I can see parts of this philosophy used in my work setting. For example when the hospital is experiencing a staffing shortage they offer a bonus for those who sign up to work extra shifts. They believe that the monetary bonus will entice staff to sign up for extra shifts to fill the staffing needs.   The thought is that people do what you want them to do if you reward them. If work is not completed as it should be workers can either be suspended or written up.
The transformational leadership style puts the emphasis on motivation. It is based on the principle that if the employee is excited about the goal or vision of the organization that they will perform at a higher standard to achieve the common goal. This style encourages more interaction (Curtis & O’Connell) . It encourages input and suggestions from employees, making them feel that they matter and that their opinion matters. Studies have proved this style of leadership to be effective in achieving higher performance, and improving the productivity of employees. It makes the employee feel that they matter to the organization which makes them want to work harder to achieve the organizations goals. Studies have also shown that this style of leadership results in increase job satisfaction among...