Student Name
Capella University
NURS-FPX 5007 Leadership for Nursing Practice
Prof. Name
Date
Leadership Styles Application
Addressing complex challenges in healthcare workplaces requires deliberate selection of leadership approaches that strengthen staff engagement, accountability, and patient care quality. In this scenario, three leadership approaches—Transformational, Democratic, and Transactional leadership—are evaluated in relation to a managerial issue involving an experienced nurse, Marty. She has been experiencing significant personal difficulties that have contributed to repeated lateness, absenteeism, and episodes of inattentiveness at work.
These concerns have placed additional pressure on her colleagues, who are frequently required to compensate for her reduced performance. This has also resulted in dissatisfaction across departments due to perceived inconsistency in her responsibilities. Despite awareness from supervisory staff, limited corrective intervention has been implemented, contributing to declining morale and workplace tension. Therefore, the application of effective leadership practices is essential to re-establish accountability, improve team cohesion, and sustain safe patient outcomes (Gashaye et al., 2023).
Major Tenets of Leadership Styles
Different leadership frameworks provide distinct mechanisms for managing employee performance challenges and organizational dynamics. The following sections outline three leadership styles and their relevance to the situation involving Marty.
Transformational Leadership
Transformational leadership is centered on inspiring employees, strengthening intrinsic motivation, and cultivating a supportive work culture that encourages professional and personal development. Leaders adopting this approach prioritize understanding individual challenges while fostering empowerment through guidance and encouragement.
In Marty’s situation, a transformational leader would likely engage her through supportive dialogue aimed at understanding her personal circumstances and identifying practical solutions to improve her work engagement. This may include emotional support, workload adjustments, or access to organizational resources. Such an approach can strengthen trust, reduce workplace resentment, and promote collective morale by reinforcing a sense of shared purpose (Tsapnidou et al., 2024).
Democratic Leadership
Democratic leadership emphasizes participatory decision-making, collaboration, and transparency within teams. It encourages employees to contribute to discussions and collectively develop solutions to workplace issues, thereby increasing ownership and accountability.
Applied to Marty’s case, a democratic leader would facilitate structured discussions involving Marty and her team members to explore fair and workable strategies for managing workload distribution and performance concerns. This inclusive process helps ensure that all voices are considered, reduces interpersonal tension, and fosters a culture of mutual respect and cooperation (Qtait, 2023).
Transactional Leadership
Transactional leadership is grounded in formal structures, clearly defined expectations, and a system of rewards and consequences. It prioritizes compliance, performance monitoring, and adherence to organizational policies.
In relation to Marty, a transactional leader would establish explicit standards for attendance, punctuality, and job performance, while clearly communicating the consequences of non-compliance. This ensures fairness and reinforces accountability across the team. However, while this model improves structure and discipline, it may not sufficiently address underlying personal or psychosocial factors influencing performance (Mekonnen & Bayissa, 2023).
Effectiveness of Leadership Styles
Each leadership approach presents distinct strengths in addressing Marty’s performance-related challenges. Transformational leadership is particularly effective in promoting emotional support and motivation, which may encourage Marty to improve her engagement while enhancing overall team morale. By acknowledging personal difficulties and offering meaningful support, leaders can reinforce commitment and reduce workplace dissatisfaction (Tsapnidou et al., 2024).
Democratic leadership contributes by ensuring that both Marty and her colleagues participate in identifying practical solutions. This shared decision-making process can improve transparency, reduce perceptions of unfair workload distribution, and strengthen teamwork and communication (Qtait, 2023).
Transactional leadership, in contrast, strengthens accountability by enforcing clear rules and expectations. While it provides necessary structure and consistency, it may be less effective in addressing personal challenges. Nevertheless, when integrated with other leadership approaches, it can support organizational discipline and performance standards (Mekonnen & Bayissa, 2023).
NURS FPX 5007 Assessment 1 Leadership Styles Application
Leadership Styles and Their Implications
| Leadership Style | Positive Implications | Negative Implications |
|---|---|---|
| Transformational Leadership | • Promotes a supportive and motivating work environment• Encourages professional and personal development• Strengthens team cohesion and morale | • Risk of perceived preferential treatment• Possible resistance from staff to change initiatives• Requires substantial time and emotional investment from leaders (Lin et al., 2020) |
| Democratic Leadership | • Enhances collaboration and inclusion• Reduces workplace conflict through open communication• Builds shared accountability in decision-making | • Decision-making processes may be slow• Potential difficulty in reaching consensus• May create discomfort for employees under discussion (Qtait, 2023) |
| Transactional Leadership | • Establishes clear performance expectations• Strengthens accountability and productivity• Maintains structure and operational consistency | • Limited emotional or developmental support• Does not address underlying personal issues• May contribute to a rigid work environment (Richards, 2020) |
Conclusion
Effectively managing performance challenges in healthcare settings requires a balanced leadership approach that integrates empathy, collaboration, and accountability. Transformational leadership supports motivation and emotional well-being, democratic leadership fosters inclusivity and shared responsibility, while transactional leadership ensures structure and compliance. A blended application of these leadership styles is likely to be the most effective strategy for supporting Marty while preserving team functionality and maintaining high standards of patient care. Ultimately, strategic leadership implementation enhances morale, promotes fairness in workload distribution, and strengthens overall healthcare service quality.
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
NURS FPX 5007 Assessment 1 Leadership Styles Application
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