Leadership Styles and Theories Discussion

Leadership Styles and Theories Erica Hunter Faculty: Sherry Knight NUR 415 Leadership and Management in Nursing March 18th, 2013 The student name indicated on this title page signifies that the author has read and understands the IWU Honesty Policy as outlined in the Student Handbook and IWU Catalog. Affixing this statement to the title page certifies that no cheating or dishonest use of information has occurred in completing this assignment. The work submitted is original work specific for this course.

If cheating and/or plagiarism are discovered in this paper, it is acknowledged that the university policy will be followed, and may result in dismissal of the student from Indiana Wesleyan University. Leadership Styles and Theories Leaders in healthcare and in business follow a leadership style to manage their employees. The Leadership styles vary from two factor theory, expectancy theory, and OB modification to transactional theory and transformational theory.

The two factor theory is where the organization considers salary, status, and security to promote job satisfaction (Yoder-Wise, 2011, p. 10). Expectancy theory is where the organization believes an individual perceived needs influence their behavior thus affecting their work performance (Yoder-Wise, 2011, p. 10). OB modification is where the leader uses positive reinforcement to motivate followers to repeat constructive behaviors in the workplace (Yoder-Wise, 2011, p. 11).

The two main theories I want to focus on are transactional and transformational theories. A transformational leader is one who promotes teamwork among the staff, encourages positive self-esteem, motivates staff to function at high levels of performance and empowers staff to become more involved in the development and implementation of policies and procedures (Atkinson Smith, 2011, p. 44-50). This leadership style is readily received by employees. This type of leadership was practiced when I worked in endoscopy at Miami Valley Hospital.

The team leader Kandi encouraged the staff with positive affirmations. She would take the time to teach new policies and give an opportunity for the staff to ask questions about the change. Kandi followed up on quality issues and if an error was found she used it as an opportunity to learn for the employee in a non-punitive manner. Transactional leadership is when employees adopt the traditional view of the “boss” image (Yoder-Wise, 2011, p. 39). The superior makes the decisions with little or no input from the subordinates.

This leadership style makes employees feel powerless and worthless to help with change. Hopefully this leadership style is used less within organizations. Leadership Styles and Theories References Atkinson Smith, M. (2011, September). Are you a transformational leader. Magnetic Pull, 42(9), 44-50. http://dx. doi. org/10. 1097/01. NUMA. 0000403279. 04379. 6a Yoder-Wise, P. (2011). Core Concepts. In P. Yoder-Wise (Ed. ), Leading and Managing in Nursing (5th ed. , pp. 5-6). St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Mosby.