The Relationship Between Leadership Styles and Staff Motivation - Assignment Example

Comparative Analysis of Research Articles Stefania Strowder Mary O’Connell Nursing 4120 30 April Comparative analysis of articles This paper analyzes four research articles that explore the relationship between leadership styles and staff motivation. The task was to develop knowledge on relative effectiveness of types of leadership styles on nurses’ motivation in a nurse in a healthcare setting. I reviewed two articles by nurses directly relating to healthcare and two that were by experts with non-medical leadership point of view. I feel that various modes, styles, and theories towards motivation can translate into the healthcare field. Each of the explored leadership style has a quality that worked well in various situations. Hierarchical organizations that need a focused approach for task completion appealed to a leadership style that was more authoritarian in nature where as an organization with the same demographics needing to explore/brainstorm new ideas, required less restriction. Existence of different leadership styles is an indicator of possible differences in effectiveness of the styles in different organizational environments or differences in leader’s traits to facilitate effectiveness of a leadership style. Almansour (2012) sought to investigate relationship between leadership approach and leaders’ effectiveness, with focus on the leaders’ level of motivation. This was based on the hypothesis that leaders’ performance is an indicator of their level of motivation. The author applied an exploratory approach on existing literature on the relationship, approach that offers sufficient data for an in-depth analysis of a subject matter. The research method is however limited to reliability and validity of the applied literature, which may also be difficult to ascertain. The author identifies three leadership styles that are explored. Transformational leadership is the first style, is associated with change and influence, and has four fundamental factors. Idealized influence is one of the factors and defines a mentorship role to followers. The factor also attracts trust and respect on leaders and these empower leaders towards effectiveness, and ensure that followers are obedient to the leader’s directions. Intellectual stimulation is another of the author’s reported factors and defines ability to promote creativity and innovation among followers through improving people’s rationale and ability to solve problems. Transformational leaders are also inspirational, improving followers commitment to objectives, and considerate to ensure utility in both followers and the subject organization. These factors therefore identify the leader’s ability to develop followers’ potentials and to ensure that the potentials are used in attaining an organization’s goals and followers’ interests and ensure higher-level performance (Almansour, 2012). The literature however identifies transactional leadership with the need to attain specific pre-established goals. Corporation between the leaders and followers in developing common goals and establishment of rewards for performance are some of the style’s traits. Reaction to immediate needs of followers is another key factor to the leadership styles and these identify the style’s ability to evoke performance and therefore imply leaders’ motivation. Situational leadership however acknowledges differences in followers and organizational environments towards need for flexibility in leadership approaches to propose possible application of selective leadership traits. The author further identifies motivation as a driving factor to acts or decisions, a finding that suggests a positive relationship between motivation and performance. Perceived reward and avoidance of harm are further factors to the drive. In addition, the author identifies significance of transformational, transactional, and situational leadership styles, out of which leaders can choose for developing motivation (Almansour, 2012). Exploration of a wide range of literature is one of the study’s strength and establishes confidence in the findings. Convergence of information from each of the many sources means that the information is valid and reliable and can therefore be used in decision-making or to inform an independent research. Reliance on existing literature also eliminates potential researcher bias in development of a study’s background and formulation of a study’s research questions and research hypothesis. Inability to verify data is however, the study’s major weakness because the method restricts a researcher’s potentials to published information. Previous biases, in the explored studies, are for example transferred into the new study. The study was conducted in an in a non-medical organization. However, they are applicable in the nursing profession in which nursing managers and leaders have to make use of different styles of leadership in order to attain adequate work motivation. Assessing the needs of the organization is necessary for identifying the most appropriate style (Almansour, 2012). The author develops knowledge on the leadership styles’ features that could influence leaders’ effectiveness and identifies the need to investigate the relationship between the styles an their effectiveness in order to identify the most effective style. An understanding of leadership styles, their respective features, and their limitations seems to inform and influence leaders’ choice of their leadership styles and this formed the basis of Suliman’s study on leadership management in multinational organizations (2009). The author used a descriptive study to investigate dominant leadership styles of the nurse manager though perception among the leaders and perception among followers. Factors to leadership styles that promote cohesion in a multicultural work environment were also focus of the study. Unlike the other considered studies, Siliman applied an empirical approach to knowledge development. This involved collection of primary data for knowledge development and has such advantages as the researcher’s ability to manage validity and reliability concerns besides offering the researcher access to unlimited information. Convenience sampling was used selecting nurse managers and assistant nurse managers into the study while simple random sampling was used to select nurses into the study. Bass and Avolio’s Multifactor questionnaire was then used for data collection (Suliman, 2009). The study’s results identify transformational leadership as the predominant leadership style the multicultural nursing setting. In addition, the results show that leadership style is particularly important in staff retention, though a significant number of personnel indicated that the style would not influence them to stay in their jobs. Effectiveness of the leadership style on personnel retention is more significant among nursing staff than among managers. Personal factors, managerial factors, and work environment are some of the reasons that influence mobility, contrary to expected effects of transformational leadership. Social background is however significant to personnel’s intention to stay in their jobs (Suliman, 2009). This study is significant because it adequately captures the perception of nurse managers on self-leadership and hence helps them perform a self-assessment that can be effective in fostering change. It also helps the staff to rate their leaders and provide a relationship between the leadership style manifestation and the nationality of the leader as well as perceptions of the staff. The study differs from the other two as it provides firsthand and up-to-date information. This increases the reliability of the results because of the researcher’s ability to verify collected data and is therefore strength. The major weakness in the study is its reliance on a single institution as the source of data, which means that the results might have been influenced by the specific organizational culture and practices (Suliman, 2009). The results imply that nursing managers are likely to rate themselves as transformational leaders, contrary to their staff’s perception and this identifies the need for diversified data in evaluating leadership styles, a consideration of independent data from employees, in addition to managers’ opinions of their leadership styles. The difference in perspective also means that managers should assume leadership styles that is acceptable to their followers, not styles that the leaders deem fit. The findings also imply that staff intention to stay at work, their nationality and the leadership style used by the managers are statistically related (Suliman, 2009). Studies that are more focused on each of the leadership styles also exist and Murphy’s study (2005) on transformational leadership is an example. The author explores aspects of transformational leadership in nursing and seeks to emphasize importance of this leadership style in the health care profession. Suitability of the leadership style and its applicability in the current nursing leadership and management environment are other major themes. Development of a transformational leader in nursing practice is another focus of the study and the author recommends educational development and charisma for development of the leader. Murphy, like Almansour, offers an exploration of existing literature in developing the literature. The review focuses on leadership styles that are exhibited by nurse managers in different situations and more deeply on the merits of the transformational leadership style. The author first explores the historical perspective of leadership characteristics and traits and using the Great Man and traits theory and its dominance in the traditional leadership styles, develops a background of leadership that is wholesome and can be related to any situation. Based on this background, the author investigates literature on leadership in the nursing environment. The author then justified the transformational leadership style (Murphy, 2005). In the study’s findings, the author identifies significance of transformational leadership style in nursing management and recommends that nurse leaders ought to apply the style in order to the high level of motivation and success that has been associated with the style. Traits such as being visionary, competent, confidence, balanced and self-conscious are also identified for effective leadership. In addition, the author predicts a relationship between a leader’s personality and confidence with ability to empower and motivate other staff and healthcare as a whole (Murphy, 2005). One of the strengths of the study is its precision and focus on real issues in healthcare and nursing management. Even though the study is also a literature review, it is straightforward and therefore facilitates an understanding of its content. These features also promote readership and accurate application of concepts that the study offer. Precision also establishes credibility and consistency of the article for application of its concepts in nursing leadership or in further knowledge development. However, the article faces the challenge of difficulty in validating reviewed information, especially because the information is limited what has been published and is susceptible to reliability and validity concerns of the used publications (Murphy, 2005). In identifying significance of transformational leadership in nursing management, the study’s findings imply that challenges that face nursing leadership need to be addressed for success in achieving objectives in the nursing environment. One of the specific practical implications is that leadership in nursing management should be focused on competencies and confidence because a nurse manager with transformational leadership potentials is able to control the performance of his jurisdiction and to promote and sustain motivation among the staff. The study by Chaudhry and Javed confirms differences in effectiveness of leadership styles on motivation. The authors report application of mixed research method in implementing the study but do not explain the applied research designs. The findings identify difference in significance of leadership styles in eliciting motivation and associate transactional leadership with greater effects than laissez faire leadership style. The empirical approach and application of mixed research methods are the study’s major strengths as they establish reliability and validity. Research period was however short and this limits reliability, based on seasonal factors (Chaundry & Javed, 2012). The study sought to analyze selected literature on the relationship between leadership styles and motivation. Researchers into the explored literatures applied diversified research methodologies that have significant strengths, despite weaknesses, and these means reliability and validity of the literatures for application in the nursing field or in facilitating further research. Features of the different leadership styles, together with empirical data, suggests effectiveness of the styles in their respective environments. The analysis identifies information gap on relative effectiveness of the styles in a universal environment and identifies the need for a model that can help to identify the most effective leadership style in a particular environment. References Almansour, Y. (2012). The Relationship between Leadership Styles and Motivation of Managers Conceptual Framework. Journal of Arts, Science & Commerce, 3(1), 161–166. Chaundry, A. & Javed, H. (2012). Impact of transactional and laissez faire leadership style on motivation. International Journal of Bbusiness and Social Science 3(7), 258-264. Murphy, L. (2005). Transformational Leadership: A Cascading Chain Reaction. Journal of nursing management, 13(2), 128-136. Suliman, W. (2009). Leadership Styles of Nurse Managers in a Multinational Environment. Nursing Administration Quarterly Journal, 33(4), 301–309. Read More