An Analysis of the Nuances and Practical Applications of Situational Leadership in the Management and Administration of International Health Care Organizations

Abstract

Over the past 10-20 years, the healthcare industry has experienced a volatile existence. This volatility is a direct result of competition, the growth of for-profit hospitals, the evolution of managed care, consumer demand for quality measures, the high cost of new medical technology, and increases in aging patient populations. These shifting environmental factors have forced international health care organizations and healthcare managers to develop new strategies to respond. The challenge that makes development of these skills so complex is that most health care practitioners received academic training in curriculum areas that are more focused on the clinical and operational aspects of healthcare and not heavily focused on the advanced study of organizational and situational leadership. The most common leadership development programs of choice are often Master of Nursing, Master of Public Health, Master of Counseling, Master of Social Work, the Doctor of Medicine, and Master of Health Administration. Although most healthcare related graduate programs often provide outstanding clinical skills development and a good framework advanced analysis, frequently the absence of academic courses that can effectively teach clinical professionals the aspects of adaptive and situational leadership are not offered.

Leadership styles in ethical dilemmas when head nurses make decisions

“…The findings of the present research show that head nurses generally applied modern leadership type with democratic style when resolving ethical dilemmas. This result corroborates the idea of Luna & Jolly () that democratic style is situational, forges consensus through participation and encourages input in decision making.…”

“…It is also evident from our research that head nurses on all types of wards choose one of several styles, such as charismatic (paternalistic leadership type), democratic and affiliative (modern leadership type), sustainable, authoritative and transformational (thought leadership type). This supports the notion of Luna & Jolly () that effective leaders may adopt any of these styles depending on the situation and the individuals involved in decision making.…”

“…Modern leadership type with democratic style is mentioned in our research as topical and this supports the ideas of Luna & Jolly () that applying this style head nurses regularly make decisions or take part in decision making. This could mean that head nurses are also focused on nursing staff ideas and thoughts in order to empower them to participate in decision making (Vance & Larson ) and to make visible their input Vesterinen et al.…”

“…() and show that the more years of experience head nurses have in administrative positions the more often they apply thought leadership type with authoritative style. These findings show that more experienced head nurses with authoritative style motivate people during stressful periods and create harmony and build emotional bonds based on loyalty and trust (Luna & Jolly ). Huber et al.…”

“…The application of coaching and affiliative or democratic leadership styles enables head nurses to empower nurses to be active participants in decision making (Cummings et al. ; Luna & Jolly ; Vesterinen et al. ).…”