Narrative: Becoming a Transformational Leader I Would Like to Be - Research Proposal Example

1. Title of the Proposed Research A Narrative - Becoming the transformational leader I would like to be. 2. The problem and its background 2.1 Introduction This paper is seeks to make research proposal on “Narrative: Becoming a transformational leader I would like to be.” Asking the question: “Could I realistically become one of transformational leader that I would like given my present characteristics and situation in my present job?”; and “What other things I need to do become one, if any?” would help me evaluate my self in so attaining my objective of becoming a transformational leader as such. Knowing how to become a transformational leader would lead me and my staff in further knowing our proper in the attainment of organizational goals while attaining ours. Conflicts both personal and professional between me and my staff are expected to find their resolutions in a more objective manner. 2.2 Theoretical framework A captain decides where the ship may lead in the oceans in the same way that I as a person occupying the esteemed positions of leadership have the capacity to direct the course of the organizational functions, activities and philosophies towards something that is desired. 2.3 Conceptual framework Identifying my characteristics, situations, skills, powers in the organization will help to compare with the requirements of a transformed leader as per theory 2.4 Statement of the problem Could I realistically become one of transformational leader that I would like given my present characteristics and situation in my present job? What other things I need to do become one, if any? 2.5 Hypothesis of the study I believe that I have the characteristics of what it takes to become a transformed leader. 2.6 Scope and Limitations The study will be limited to analytical comparison of what the theory says on the characteristics of a transformed leader and the descriptions on my work duties and responsibilities, my attitudes and skills I possess. 2.7 Assumptions of the study I assume that what I present here as my characteristics and situations are real and based on my own subjective evaluation of myself and from which I have not seen or heard any major protest or objection that my compel not to believe myself. 2.8 Significance of the study The study will help me look at myself in a more dispassionate and objective manner in the eyes of what the theory says about transactional and transformational leadership. This will also help me in developing myself and my staff towards promoting the realisation of valid organizational objectives where I and my staff belong. 3. Review of Related Literature and Studies 3.1 Distinctions between transactional and transformational leadership Desiring and planning to become a transformational leader that would like to be would therefore necessarily require knowing the distinction between transactional and transformational leadership. The obvious reason of course if for purposes of evaluating whether I may consider myself still a transactional leader desiring to become a transformational leader or whether I have become already a transformational leader without my knowledge. Johns (2003) cited Trofino (1995) in making the distinction between a transactional and transformational leadership style as follows: The transactional style is functional towards achieving a specific outcome based on an exchange system that the follower values. The transformational style is based on relationship where people work together towards realizing shared vision and shared success, both personal and organizational. Such a leadership style is motivating and energizing for both leaders and followers. The transactional leadership style tends to be characterized by an emphasis on positional, reward and sanction types of power, whereas the transformational leadership style is characterized more by relational and expert types of power (French & Raven 1968). The consequence is a fundamental shift of the way power is used within organizations. While I may acknowledge that I may have learned many things on how to become a transformed leader I need to stay with and build good relationship with my staff. I know I can work together with people; I must bring them to a situation or relationship, where we can work together towards realizing shared vision and shared success, both personal and organizational. In order to do this my staff and I must understand what our shares vision for the organization is. 3.2 Why I want to be become a transformational leader? Knowing the description of the type of leader I want to be will point out why I want to be there in the first place. Hence it is proper to know more about transformational leadership at this point. In describing the concept, Johns (2003) said: Transformational leadership views all experience as opportunity for learning. As such the organization becomes reflective, establishing what Senge (1990) calls the learning organization; an organization that is more holistic, flexible, responsive, proactive, and caring. In other words, it is an organization that lives its values and works hard to identify and resolve contradictions between its values and its practice. Reflection is the core of clinical supervision (Bond & Holland 1998, Rolfe et al. 2001), suggesting that clinical supervision may provide a congruent learning opportunity to develop transformational leaders within nursing. The above is the nature of leadership that I would like to have. I want myself and my staff to view all experiences as opportunity for learning. By having that kind of attitude, no moment will be wasted. All contradictions between values and practice will be resolved because people would be more accepting of the realities of experiences as something we would learn from and part of memories that would be cherished upon. Aside from the obviously mentioned difference of transformational from transactional leadership, there are really advantages of transformational leaders. Davis, D. (2003) said: Prominent leadership researchers (Avolio, Bass & Jung, 1999) feel that transformational leadership is the key in the continued success of organizations due to its promotion of team cohesion, organizational commitment, and higher levels of job satisfaction. An organization that is more holistic, flexible, receptive, and upbeat and, lives its values and works hard to really identify and resolve disagreements contradictions between its values and its practice if complemented with team cohesion, organizational commitment and higher level of job satisfaction will always be indicative of a successful organization. Thus further meaning for existence will sustain operation, growth and development of the trust where I work with. 3.3 How I will get there? After describing the environment that I would like to have through the kind of leadership that I desired to be, the next step is to know how to get there. By using my present resources which include the power corresponding to the position and experience and accomplishment that I could bank into, I believe I can get there. First, I believe that I need a vision for practice. A vision I believe will have my heart and mind focused as far as the organization is concerned. Johns (2003) quoted in his work “Clinical supervision as a model for clinical leadership” a need to develop a vision for practice as follows: “Managing vision is central to transformational leadership (Senge 1990, Sofarelli & Brown 1998). Vision gives meaning and direction to practice and unites staff in common purpose. Without exception, the practitioners lacked a clear vision for practice despite written 'ward philosophies'. However, these emerged as little more that than vague statements that had little practical meaning. As reflected in the way the leaders talked about their work, they tended to define work and themselves from a functional perspective. When challenged they struggled to conceptualize practice in terms of values.” Johns (2003) gave as an example the case of Tessa. When the latter attained G grade I, he (Johns) challenged her to reflect on ward values at her first team meeting. Johns noted however that she felt it was more important to focus on 'the little things, such as patients having a glass of water at hand'; typifying the prevailing functional perspective. “Given the centrality of vision to leadership role,” Johns (2003) said that only two practitioners reconstructed their philosophies for practice in meaningful ways to focus nursing practice and development. Johns (2003) thus clarified that in defence, the practitioners justified their passivity to create meaningful vision in terms of being locked into a medical model that defined caring and felt unable or were reluctant to assert a nursing identity. Wanting to learn a great lesson from the statement above, my vision of course is to have my people below supporting me not only functionally but see more of them relating to the bigger purpose of the organization through our own collective set of values and philosophies in proving the best service ever to our patients. Second, I need to maintain expert clinical credibility. Johns (2003) on the same sub-topic said: “Perhaps one reason that the practitioners did not easily engage the idea of vision was that they felt they had become increasingly remote from everyday clinical practice reflected in the fact that few of shared experiences were grounded in clinical experiences with patients and families. One consequence was that they were not so available to lead by example. Their lives revolved around managerial issues. It was an area of considerable frustration because they all wanted to be more involved in direct patient care….. The lack of visible clinical role undermined the leader's expert and relational sources of power (French & Raven 1968). As a consequence, more authoritative sources of power, such as positional power, were emphasized that constrained the development of collaborative relationships viewed as central to transformational leadership (Sofarelli & Brown 1998).” Johns (2003) found in the study that some leaders, notably the H grades, successfully devised strategies to increase the percentage of their time devoted to clinical practice, leading to a marked improvement in personal satisfaction and perception of self as leader (rather than manager). He thus concluded in another of saying that these leaders did perceive that clinical leaders have strong clinical roles. Looking at the finding of Chris (2003) would really point the need for maintaining expert clinical credibility as way of leading by example. Such leading by example would do much. This seems to find good support in adage that “actions speak louder than words.” Third, I need to establish effective working relationships necessary to achieve effective practice. Johns (2003) mentioned about the theory that transformational leadership is characterized by trusting and collaborative relationships between colleagues at all levels of the organization. He said that in contrast, the leaders' experiences revealed a culture of conflict and conflict avoidance. He further added: “Without doubt, the management of everyday care was the management of conflict that seemed to infect every part of practice resulting in the many negative feelings the leaders expressed. Whilst reflection helped the nurse to understand conflict, resolving conflict was less easily achieved because of learnt ways of responding to situations through avoidance because conflict was uncomfortable. This understanding fits with Cavanaugh’s (1991) observation that the avoidance was the predominant style of nurse managers in managing conflict.” Making further analysis he said that it seemed that the leaders had learnt to be docile and asserting their own views was difficult because they felt they lacked a powerful enough voice and feared sanction. Johns (2003) thus mentioned the case of Shirley which demonstrated that when she did learn to challenge her manager, the fear of sanction was exposed as illusionary as if the fear had been internalized as a self-regulatory process. This Johns (2003) noted was what Foucault (1979) describes as the governed body. Further illustrating using Claire’s narrative, Johns (2003) explained that such narrative is dominated by her theme of conflict with a particular consultant. Pointing to the narrative of Claire at the end of the first 12 months, he said: “Claire had been socialized as a nurse to respond in certain ways to consultant doctors. Her struggle to assert herself with the consultant is a constant theme. The consultant responded to Claire as if she was subordinate. Claire struggled to resist this power inequality.” He thus inferred that perhaps, it would be easier for practitioners such as Clare to rationalize and maintain the status quo in order to live harmonious lives and the patronage of more powerful others. To support his analysis he cited Smyth (1987) which noted: “Most of us, unless we feel uncomfortable, shaken or forced to look at ourselves and our circumstances, are unlikely to change. It is far easier to accept our current conditions and adopt the line of least resistance.”(p. 40) Explaining further, Johns (2003) said that this is perhaps more true working in bureaucratic settings that has taught nurses to be passive and compliant (Lieberman 1989). Moreover he said: “Accepting the truth-value of this statement suggests that exposing contradiction and conflict in everyday practice, and working with practitioners towards a sense of 'empowerment' will create tension within the organization. Yet, as Shirley illustrated, the more she claimed leadership the more influential she became within the organization. Indeed the organization came to value her more, casting doubt on the idea that the organization would resist nursing empowerment. Rather it did to an extent, yet once its value was shown; it could not resist nursing leadership because its value to the organization was irresistible.” Johns (2003) did notice that Shirley’s leadership was non-threatening because it was grounded in collaborative intent. In contrast, Johns noted that Beattie saw herself as a manager and her experiences were focused on imposing control over her directorate rather than developing clinical leadership. In other words, Johns (2003) clarified that she had largely absorbed the prevailing management attitude. He did expressed clearly that this was a significant observation because all practitioners sought to assert control over their practice environments and needed to achieve this before they could develop clinical practice. Fourth, there is a need to manage self to maintain charisma and effectiveness Johns (2003) posited: “Charisma is the quality of leadership that attracts and influences followers. It is essentially concerned with relational rather than positional power (French & Raven 1968). Whilst some of the ward managers had charismatic qualities, I tended to be submerged under an everyday pressure of getting by. The leaders revealed themselves as an anxious and tired group battling against the odds with low establishments, high sickness, high work-loads, high organizational expectations, a lack of organizational support and without adequate support systems. Indeed they did not feel valued or cared for by the organization. Moral and energy was low yet their loyalty and resolve to win through at times felt astonishing.” 4. Research Methods to be used The methods that will be used include textual analysis of available documentary evidence on the matter as against my records of personal experience both in my job and in my personal capacity as well documented results of my work, papers pertaining to accomplishments done and documents evidencing organizational plans. Since the paper will be for reflection, guidance, self enquiry, transformation and reflexivity part of a dissertation that will be made, will therefore addresses a series of experiences, a journal using model of self reflection and other models needed to internalize process in time focus on elements of relationships and clinical leadership journey of leadership marked by experiences of self enquiry - leader I want to be. Comparison will be made transactional and transformational leadership measurement of experiences with due exploration of related literature on the matter. 5. Bibliography: 1. Avolio, B.J., Bass, B.M., & Jung, D.I. (1999). Re-examining the components of transformational and transactional leadership using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 72, 441-463. 2. Bond M. & Holland S. (1998) Skills of Clinical Supervision for Nurses. Open University Press, Buckingham. 3. Cavanagh S. (1991), The conflict management style of staff nurses and managers. Journal of Advanced Nursing 16, 1254–12600. 4. Davis, D. (2003), An Analysis of the Perceived Leadership Styles and Levels of Satisfaction of Selected Junior College Athletic Directors and Head Coaches; The Sports Journal {www document} URL http://www.thesportjournal.org/2002Journal/Vol5-No2/satisfaction.asp), Accessed June 7,2006 5. Foucault M. (1979) Discipline and Punish: the Birth of the Prison. Sheridan A (Trans) Vintage/Random House, New York. 6. French J. & Raven B. (1968) The bases of social power. In Group Dynamics (D. Cartwright & A. Zander eds), pp. 150–167, Row Peterson, Evanston, IL. 7. Johns, Christopher (2003), Clinical supervision as a model for clinical leadership Journal of Nursing Management 11 (1), 25-35. 8. Lieberman A. (1989) Staff Development in Culture Building, Curriculum and Teaching: the Next 50 Years. Teachers' College Press, New York. 9. Schuster J. (1994) Transforming your leadership style. Association Management 46, L39–L42. 10. Senge P. (1990) The Fifth Discipline: the Art and Practice of the Learning Organisation. Century Business, London. 11. Smyth W.J. (1987) A Rationale for Teacher's Critical Pedagogy. Deakin University Press, Melbourne. 12. Trofino J. (1995) Transformational leadership in health care. Nursing Management 26 (8), 42–47. Read More