ANSWER
Resolving Leadership Issues on 3 East: A Case Study
Overview
The difficulties on the 3 East Orthopaedic Unit bring to light problems with performance evaluations, team morale, and leadership changes. Addressing the individual and structural causes of this instability is essential for the Nurse Executive, particularly in light of the hospital’s aspirations to become Magnet recognised. In order to support Sally Smiles, the current Nurse Manager, and determine her appropriateness for the position, this case study examines data collection, reflection questions, and tactics. Interventions will be guided by transformational leadership principles and emotional intelligence (EI) in order to promote growth and long-lasting improvements.
Data to Gather/Assemble Prior to the Meeting: Unit Performance Metrics
Examine 3 East-specific exit interview feedback, staff engagement surveys, and turnover rates.
Analyse budget variances, quality results, and patient satisfaction ratings.
Historical Background:
Examine the explanations given by former managers for their resignations in order to spot any trends.
Responses from interested parties:
Get opinions on Sally’s efficacy and leadership style from colleagues, staff, and interdepartmental leaders.
History of Training and Development:
Examine Sally’s involvement in leadership courses, mentorship programmes, and supervisory training.
Introspective Questions Regarding My Assistance to Sally
Have I given Sally enough direction and mentoring as she assumes leadership roles?
Could I have offered temporary resources, and did the postponement of supervisory training add to her current difficulties?
Did Sally get clear objectives and performance goals right away?
Have I created a psychologically secure space where Sally feels encouraged to ask for assistance?
Could any of these issues have been avoided with more frequent one-on-one meetings?
Improved Support and Mentorship: Techniques, Ideas, and Interventions
Resuming weekly meetings will help to handle urgent issues, create short-term objectives, and give consistent direction.
Assign Sally to an experienced mentor who can provide both emotional support and useful leadership guidance.
Development of Leadership:
Sally should be enrolled in more leadership courses that emphasise teamwork, time management, and dispute resolution.
Give her tools, such as leadership coaching, to help her perform her job better.
Initiatives for Staff Engagement:
Urge Sally to schedule frequent team meetings in order to promote cooperation, get input, and regain confidence.
Establish a staff appreciation programme to boost spirits and draw attention to the unit’s accomplishments.
Tools for Structured Communication:
To standardise and enhance interdepartmental communication, implement instruments such as SBAR (Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation).
Management of Workload and Delegation:
To prevent burnout and concentrate on strategic leadership duties, encourage Sally to assign non-essential chores to others.
Competencies in Emotional Intelligence Sally must become more self-aware:
Sally needs to be aware of how her behaviour and stress affect the performance of her team and unit.
Self-Regulation: It’s crucial to cultivate the capacity to control emotions under duress and react in a positive way.
Empathy: Sally can create a more welcoming and encouraging atmosphere by being aware of the viewpoints and difficulties of her employees.
Social Skills: She will connect with employees and other departments more effectively if she can develop her interpersonal communication and relationship-building abilities.
Transformational Leadership Techniques for Sally’s Forward-Looking Thoughts:
Assist Sally in clearly defining the unit’s vision and including her team in goal-setting.
Inspirational Motivation: To boost workplace morale, remind Sally to highlight employee qualities and give regular praise.
Customised Attention: Encourage one-on-one interactions with employees, getting to know their particular requirements and provide help that is specific to them.
Intellectual Stimulation: Encourage employees to think critically and offer ideas on how to enhance procedures and patient outcomes.
Timeline for the First Month of Change and Improvement:
Hold weekly meetings once again, carry out staff engagement programmes, and supply more leadership materials.
Months two and three:
Keep an eye on improvements in Sally’s communication with stakeholders and staff morale.
Assess the degree to which particular performance objectives—such as timely reports and budget management—are being met.
Months four and six:
Evaluate the stability of the entire unit, taking into account patient satisfaction, engagement, and turnover rates. Adapt tactics as necessary.
Resolving Role Inconsistency
I would approach the discussion sympathetically if it turns out that Sally’s strengths do not match the Nurse Manager position:
Emphasise her commitment to the unit and her contributions.
Provide data to illustrate areas where training and support have not resulted in enough improvement.
Talk about other positions inside the company that fit her clinical background, such quality improvement specialist or educator.
Reiterate that this change is a step towards a position where she may flourish and make a meaningful contribution, not a failure.
In conclusion
A comprehensive strategy based on transformational leadership and emotional intelligence is needed to address the leadership issues on 3 East. Sally can acquire the abilities required for successful leadership by utilising mentorship, encouraging employee involvement, and offering specialised support. Sally and the organisation would both gain by moving her to a more appropriate job if the Nurse Manager post continues to be inappropriate, guaranteeing harmony with the hospital’s vision and objectives.
Citations
Riggio, R. E., and Bass, B. M. (2006). Leadership through transformation (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Barnsteiner, J., and G. Sherwood (2017). A competency-based approach to enhancing nursing quality and safety (2nd ed.). Blackwell, Wiley.
QUESTION
Discussion 3
Case Scenario
You are a Nurse Executive in a small community hospital. You have been in your position for five years and pride yourself on the close knit and supportive culture that you have built for your nursing staff. Your hospital is highly regarded in the community and you are looking toward applying for Magnet recognition status within the next two years. You view yourself as a transformational nurse leader and expect this leadership style from your managers. All ten of the Nurse Managers in your facility report directly to you. The management team has been very stable with the exception of one unit 3 East, a 30 bed Orthopedic Unit. That unit has had three nurse managers over the past 4 years and has a 15% yearly staff turnover – your nursing department average is 5%.
The nurse manager who managed the unit when you arrived left the unit within the year citing philosphical differences with “your expectations of managers”. You then hired a Nurse Manager from the outside who appeared to happy but after two years took a non-management position in Quality Management to “reduce her stress level”. When she transferred, you advertised the position as an excellent promotion opportunity for an “Aspiring Nurse Leader” and you hoped to have BSN candidates with some leadership background. None of the candidates who applied met this criteria and after an extensive competency based interview process you selected Sally Smiles, a staff nurse who had worked on 3 East for three years.
Sally’s first year as Nurse Manager has been very rocky. Unfortunately your hospital offers supervisory training once each year and Sally attended after being in the role almost eight months. You have notice she seems overwhelmed with the responsibilities of her role. She frequently works late and is often in the hospital on weekends. Recently, she seems to be withdrawing from her staff and from you. Staff complain that she is in the office for hours with the door closed. Her staffing budget is frequently outside the expected variances and her reports are routinely late. Other departments have complained to you that she is abrupt and unwilling to consider their viewpoints. She has not really bonded with any of your other nurse managers. A highly regarded staff member was recently exit interviewed by the Nurse Recruiter and described her as cold and controlling and added many staff were interviewing for other positions. You have heard through the grapevine that Sally has told staff that she “receives no support from administration and it is not surprising that this unit has been through so many managers”.
Initially, you met with Sally weekly but recently because of your schedule, that has been changed to monthly. You have a meeting scheduled with Sally next week. Consider your readings for this unit and this case situation and answer the following questions:
- What information will you collect/compile in advance of your meeting with Sally?
- What reflective questions will you ask yourself about the level of support that you have provided for Sally over the past year?
- What strategies/suggestions/interventions might you suggest or perhaps even require Sally to implement?
- What emotional intelligence competencies does Sally need to work on?
- With your knowledge of Transformational leadership, what specific strategies would you suggest for Sally to change the direction of her leadership style?
- As a Nursing Leader, what type of timeline would you look at to expect to see change and/or improvement in this situation?
- If it is your assessment that the Nurse Manager Role may not be the right one for Sally – how would you present this to her?
Submission Instructions:
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