NURS FPX 5007 Assessment 1 Leadership Styles Application

Name

Capella university

NURS-FPX 5007 Leadership for Nursing Practice

Prof. Name

Date

Leadership Styles Application

This paper explores three leadership styles—transformational, democratic, and transactional—and their application to a real-world healthcare challenge involving an underperforming team member. In this case, Marty, a seasoned nurse undergoing personal difficulties, has exhibited consistent patterns of arriving late, dozing at her desk, and being absent. These behaviors have increased the burden on her team members, who have expressed frustration due to the added workload. Additionally, departments dependent on Marty’s contributions have begun filing complaints about her declining performance.

Despite her supervisor’s awareness, no significant corrective measures have been implemented. This lack of action has worsened team morale and could potentially affect patient care and safety. To ensure the provision of quality care and the maintenance of a positive work environment, it is vital that healthcare leaders address such personnel challenges. Effective leadership ensures not only the well-being of individual employees but also fosters team accountability and promotes high-quality outcomes in healthcare services (Gashaye et al., 2023).

Major Tenets of Leadership Styles

In addressing the challenges surrounding Marty’s situation, three distinct leadership styles provide practical frameworks. Each offers unique characteristics that can guide managerial interventions and support both individual and team development.

Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership is characterized by the ability to inspire and influence employees toward change through motivation and individualized attention. A leader utilizing this approach would aim to understand Marty’s personal hardships and work closely with her to restore balance. By encouraging open dialogue and offering emotional and logistical support, transformational leadership can reenergize Marty’s engagement with her work. The style is particularly effective at creating a culture where staff feels seen, heard, and valued (Tsapnidou et al., 2024).

Democratic Leadership

This leadership style is participative, encouraging team collaboration in decision-making processes. A democratic leader would organize a forum where Marty and her team can collectively discuss the situation. Such inclusive communication may lead to shared solutions that consider Marty’s needs while also addressing her colleagues’ concerns. The result is greater accountability and unity, with the team feeling that their voices contribute meaningfully to workplace outcomes (Qtait, 2023).

Transactional Leadership

Transactional leadership is performance-based and focuses on structured roles, rewards, and discipline. It is particularly effective in environments requiring clear expectations. In Marty’s case, a transactional leader might establish benchmarks for punctuality, attendance, and performance. Consequences for failing to meet these expectations would be communicated clearly, helping create a performance-driven environment. Though less personal, this style is often effective in setting measurable standards and promoting discipline (Mekonnen & Bayissa, 2023).

Particular Leadership Styles’ Effectiveness

Each leadership style offers potential benefits when applied to the “Sleeping on the Job” scenario, depending on the outcome desired and the team dynamics involved.

Transformational leadership would likely be the most empathetic and morale-boosting solution. By building a strong, personal connection with Marty and understanding the root causes of her challenges, the leader could offer tailored support. This might include adjusting schedules, offering mental health resources, or encouraging gradual reintegration into her responsibilities. These strategies could increase her sense of belonging and motivation to improve, while enhancing the emotional climate of the entire team (Tsapnidou et al., 2024).

Democratic leadership is effective in reinforcing collective responsibility. Involving team members in the conversation could ease resentment and allow for consensus-based solutions. Marty’s teammates could voice their frustrations, while Marty could explain her circumstances. A mutually agreed plan of action, emerging from open discussion, can enhance team cohesion and reduce friction (Qtait, 2023).

Transactional leadership is helpful when a situation demands prompt action and consistent enforcement of rules. In this context, a transactional leader could issue performance improvement plans and monitor compliance. Clear expectations and predetermined consequences would hold Marty accountable while ensuring fairness across the board. Though more rigid, this method may be essential if the leader needs to rapidly restore discipline and organizational consistency (Mekonnen & Bayissa, 2023).

Positive and Negative Implications of Each Leadership Style

To fully understand the impact of these styles, their respective advantages and drawbacks are best illustrated in the following comparative table:

Leadership Style	Positive Implications	Negative Implications
Transformational	Fosters empathy, motivation, and strong morale. Enhances Marty’s engagement and performance.	Risk of perceived favoritism. May cause resentment among staff who feel burdened or neglected.
Democratic	Encourages team participation and shared responsibility. Improves communication and unity.	Can slow decision-making. Marty may feel attacked if singled out in public discussions.
Transactional	Establishes structure and measurable performance expectations. Promotes discipline.	Overemphasis on rules may alienate Marty. Does not address underlying personal issues.

In applying transformational leadership, the leader can create a more compassionate environment, allowing Marty to regain her professional footing. However, excessive empathy may lead to accusations of bias, especially if the rest of the team continues absorbing her duties (Lin et al., 2020).

The democratic approach empowers all voices in the room. By giving everyone—including Marty—a chance to contribute to the resolution, the team may reach a more sustainable consensus. Still, emotionally charged discussions can derail progress and affect Marty’s mental state, especially if she feels ganged up on or misunderstood.

Lastly, transactional leadership is most appropriate when structure is lacking. By setting firm expectations and consequences, the leader instills a sense of order. However, this style may fail to address the deeper emotional or health-related causes of Marty’s behavior. If the environment becomes too rigid, it could deter honest communication and reduce team morale (Richards, 2020).

Conclusion

Effectively resolving Marty’s workplace performance issues requires careful consideration of leadership style. Transformational leadership offers compassionate, individualized support that can motivate and reengage struggling employees. Democratic leadership enables shared decision-making, reinforcing the collective responsibility of the team. Transactional leadership, while less personal, introduces necessary boundaries and promotes accountability. Each approach holds merit in different aspects of team management. By leveraging their strengths and mitigating their limitations, leaders in healthcare can create environments where employees are both supported and held accountable, leading to improved outcomes for the organization and patients alike.

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. pei, 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

NURS FPX 5007 Assessment 1 Leadership Styles Application

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/

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

NURS FPX 5007 Assessment 1 Leadership Styles Application