Leadership Roles & Management
Functions in Nursing – Comprehensive
Study Guide
Decision making
A complex, cognitive process of choosing a particular course of action; the thought process of selecting a
logical choice from available options
Problem Solving
Part of decision making; a systematic process focusing on analyzing a difficult situation involving higher
order reasoning and evaluation
Critical Thinking
The mental process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and
evaluating information to reach an answer or conclusion
Experiential Learning
Provides mock life experiences to learn from
Allows learners to apply leadership and management theory
Promotes whole brain thinking and improved problem- solving skills
Economic man
-Makes decisions in rational manner
-Has complete knowledge of problem or situation
-Considers all alternatives
-Has systematic ordering of alternatives
-Selects maximizing choice
Administrative man
,-Knowledge is fragmented
-Is impossible to accurately predict future consequences
-Considers multiple alternatives but not all
-Makes decisions that are good enough
-Final choice is satisficing
Leaders
Empower others; maximize workforce effectiveness
Needed to implement the planned change that is part of system improvement
Managers
Guide, direct, and motivate others
Intervene when goals are threatened
Emphasize control
The management process
planning-> organizing-> leading-> controlling
Planning
Encompasses determining philosophy, goals, objectives, policies, procedures, and rules; carrying out
long- and short-range projections; determining a fiscal course of action; and managing planned change
Organizing
Includes establishing the structure to carry out plans, determining the most appropriate type of patient
care delivery, and grouping activities to meet unit goals
Other functions involve working within the structure of the organization and understanding and using
power and authority appropriately.
Staffing
Consists of recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and orienting staff. Scheduling, staff development, employee
socialization, and team building are also often included as staffing functions.
Directing
Usually entails human resource management responsibilities, such as motivating, managing conflict,
delegating, communicating, and facilitating collaboration
Controlling
Includes performance appraisals, fiscal accountability, quality control, legal and ethical control, and
professional and collegial control
, Contingency Leadership Styles #1
Autocratic or authoritarian(relating to a ruler who has absolute power)
Democratic or participative (members of the group take a more participative role in the decision-making
process)
Laissez-faire, permissive, or free rein ( an attitude of trust and reliance on their employees. They don't
micromanage or get too involved, they don't give too much instruction or guidance)
Contingency Leadership Styles #2
Contingency leadership suggests that no one leadership style is ideal for every situation.
Transactional Leader
-Focuses on management tasks
-Is directive and results oriented
-Uses trade-offs to meet goals
-Does not identify shared values
-Examines causes
-Uses contingency reward
Transformational leader
-Identifies common values
-Is a caretaker
-Inspires others with vision
-Has long-term vision
-Looks at effects
-Empowers others
Ethics # 1
The systematic study of what a person's conduct and actions should be with regard to self, other human
beings, and the environment
The justification of what is right or good and the study of what a person's life and relationships should
be, not necessarily what they are
Ethics # 2
Nurses are often placed in situations where they are expected to be agents for patients, physicians, and
the organization simultaneously, all of which may have conflicting needs, wants, and goals.
Ethics # 3
The way a person approaches and solves ethical dilemmas is influenced by his or her values and basic
beliefs about the rights, duties, and goals of all human being
Moral indifference
Functions in Nursing – Comprehensive
Study Guide
Decision making
A complex, cognitive process of choosing a particular course of action; the thought process of selecting a
logical choice from available options
Problem Solving
Part of decision making; a systematic process focusing on analyzing a difficult situation involving higher
order reasoning and evaluation
Critical Thinking
The mental process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and
evaluating information to reach an answer or conclusion
Experiential Learning
Provides mock life experiences to learn from
Allows learners to apply leadership and management theory
Promotes whole brain thinking and improved problem- solving skills
Economic man
-Makes decisions in rational manner
-Has complete knowledge of problem or situation
-Considers all alternatives
-Has systematic ordering of alternatives
-Selects maximizing choice
Administrative man
,-Knowledge is fragmented
-Is impossible to accurately predict future consequences
-Considers multiple alternatives but not all
-Makes decisions that are good enough
-Final choice is satisficing
Leaders
Empower others; maximize workforce effectiveness
Needed to implement the planned change that is part of system improvement
Managers
Guide, direct, and motivate others
Intervene when goals are threatened
Emphasize control
The management process
planning-> organizing-> leading-> controlling
Planning
Encompasses determining philosophy, goals, objectives, policies, procedures, and rules; carrying out
long- and short-range projections; determining a fiscal course of action; and managing planned change
Organizing
Includes establishing the structure to carry out plans, determining the most appropriate type of patient
care delivery, and grouping activities to meet unit goals
Other functions involve working within the structure of the organization and understanding and using
power and authority appropriately.
Staffing
Consists of recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and orienting staff. Scheduling, staff development, employee
socialization, and team building are also often included as staffing functions.
Directing
Usually entails human resource management responsibilities, such as motivating, managing conflict,
delegating, communicating, and facilitating collaboration
Controlling
Includes performance appraisals, fiscal accountability, quality control, legal and ethical control, and
professional and collegial control
, Contingency Leadership Styles #1
Autocratic or authoritarian(relating to a ruler who has absolute power)
Democratic or participative (members of the group take a more participative role in the decision-making
process)
Laissez-faire, permissive, or free rein ( an attitude of trust and reliance on their employees. They don't
micromanage or get too involved, they don't give too much instruction or guidance)
Contingency Leadership Styles #2
Contingency leadership suggests that no one leadership style is ideal for every situation.
Transactional Leader
-Focuses on management tasks
-Is directive and results oriented
-Uses trade-offs to meet goals
-Does not identify shared values
-Examines causes
-Uses contingency reward
Transformational leader
-Identifies common values
-Is a caretaker
-Inspires others with vision
-Has long-term vision
-Looks at effects
-Empowers others
Ethics # 1
The systematic study of what a person's conduct and actions should be with regard to self, other human
beings, and the environment
The justification of what is right or good and the study of what a person's life and relationships should
be, not necessarily what they are
Ethics # 2
Nurses are often placed in situations where they are expected to be agents for patients, physicians, and
the organization simultaneously, all of which may have conflicting needs, wants, and goals.
Ethics # 3
The way a person approaches and solves ethical dilemmas is influenced by his or her values and basic
beliefs about the rights, duties, and goals of all human being
Moral indifference
