NR 506 Week 3: Effective Coalition Leadership
NR 506 Week 3: Effective Coalition Leadership
NR 506 Week 3: Effective Coalition Leadership
There are many necessary elements for effective leadership within a coalition. To be effective, coalitions require multiple things from leadership including effective communication, conflict resolution, perception of fairness and shared decision –making (SAMHSA, 2017). Shared leadership is also an important element. Leaders within the group need to have a defined role and also needs a group of people that are actively participating. Shared leadership is a way for the coalition to tackle the most challenging tasks as a group. It is the job of the leaders to create a positive work environment for each employee as well, which can be a difficult thing to do.
Knowledge development and skill building are other necessary elements for any leader as well. The nursing profession is constantly changing and as younger nurses come in, the leaders need to continue to develop knowledge not only about the nursing practices, but also about the management side of things. Skill building is an element that needs to occur in order for the team to work effectively and efficiently (MacDonald & Shriberg, 2016).
Effective leadership affects many areas of both my personal and professional life. Managers in our facility are required to go to a leadership development seminar 4 times every year. This keeps the leaders up to date on not only the new practices in the nursing profession, but also new leadership strategies. Our department has had some difficulty in the past taking accountability for their actions, which our leader was in tuned to and has worked with our department very closely in order to correct this. For staff members, this is great in multiple ways. We trust our manager as a leader and know she has the ability to coach us to be better. We also see that she might not be working with us every single day, but can recognize when something is not working well in the department. Having effective leadership is so important in every coalition, especially in the nursing profession.
References:
MacDonald, L., Shriberg, M. (2016). Sustainability leadership programs in higher education: alumni outcomes and impacts. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences. 6(2), 360-370.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHAS), (2017). Components of an effective coalition. Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/capt/tools-learning-resources/components-effective-coalition
Steffany, do you think the leadership skills required for a coalition are the same or similar to those required for a nursing manager in acute care?
I do think that a good majority of the leadership skills that are required for a coalition are the same that a nurse manager. No matter the field, leaders must possess the same skills to oversee a group. Just like in a coalition, a nurse manager on a unit must be able to oversee many task and people (Green, & Edmonson, 2013). The leader is the one who is the driving force for any goal; the manager needs to be able to direct people to achieve whatever the common goal is but still be able to listen to each side of the issue (Green, & Edmonson, 2013). With any group, be it a coalition or a group of nurses on a unit, the leader has to be able to take charge; without someone leading, there will be chaos. Leaders make decisions that even if they are not agreed on by every person are the fairest and has the best possible outcome (Green, & Edmonson, 2013). Just like in a coalition, a nurse manager mediates between people from staff members, doctors, their fellow managers, and administration. I know as an Administrative RN 3 on my unit, I have helped my supervisor with these issues between employees. Managers need to be able to be impartial to both parties but be able to bring them back together to come to a resolution.
References
Green, A., & Edmonson, C. (2013). An Opportunity to Lead: State Coalitions. Nurse Leader, 1128,39-31,39. doi:10.1016/j.mnl.2012.11.00
In my opinion a nurse manger is a leader of a coalition. The unit operates as a coalition as several individuals are working toward goals with a common interest, such as patient care. Effective communication is essential for success in any organization. I have learned that effective communication involves clear and concise information, listening, and observing body language. Communication is required as it significantly impacts how we send and receive information. Leaders need to communicate strategies, instructions, and goals to all members of the team. As a nurse manager in an acute care setting adequate communication helps the unit and organization to be productive and operate effectively. I noticed as healthcare advances nurse managers are utilizing a working knowledge of technology to collaborate and interact with other organizations and individuals. Technologies are becoming common not only in healthcare but in all aspect of life. It is an effective tool used to delivery information to a large group of people. After reviewing this week lesson, I now see the position of a nurse manager and the responsibilities of a coalition leader as one in the same.
A coalition is a group of people who share a common goal and work together to influence change (Green, & Edmonson, 2013). Coalitions can formulate decisions only if they are able to look at the overall picture and determine how the decision will affect different people and various organizations (Green, & Edmonson, 2013). Strong leadership is essential for a coalition to be successful (Green, & Edmonson, 2013). This element is necessary so that the group will have direction and be able to accomplish goals that it sets (Green, & Edmonson, 2013). The leader must be able to foresee a clear vision of what the group is trying to achieve (Mennella, & Balderrama, 2017). Leaders must possess the ability to actively listen to every party involved in the decision-making process in order to learn different viewpoints, and then they have to be able to think long term as to how their decision affects both the members of their group as well as outside organizations (Mennella, & Balderrama, 2017). Effective leaders of a coalition will need to mediate between different groups involved in the shared goal; they might be called to evaluate opposing sides of an issue after ensuring all members feel that they have had an equal input in the decisions (Green, & Edmonson, 2013). An accomplished leader can interact with representatives from different agencies spanning from healthcare organizations to government officials (Green, & Edmonson, 2013). Like any leader in any organization, the leader in a coalition needs to be fair and willing to listen to the other members’ opinions (Mennella, & Balderrama, 2017).
By being master prepared nurses, we will be the ones implementing change in the healthcare system. Nurses comprise over three million members in the current healthcare population (Green, & Edmonson, 2013). We are in a position to be able to join together and accomplish real change that can affect patients’ lives (Green, & Edmonson, 2013). The nursing profession has laid a foundation for being an advocate for patients while also fighting for policies and procedures that need to change (Green, & Edmonson, 2013). Falling into coalition membership seems natural for nurses. We are going to be viewed as leaders and decision makers. With this responsibility, we must be educated in the current issues and be willing to put in the time and effort to improve our current healthcare system. Along with these responsibilities we will be granted positions of power. Ultimately, we must be willing to tackle these issues and assume these roles to benefit our profession and our patients.
References
Green, A., & Edmonson, C. (2013). An Opportunity to Lead: State Coalitions. Nurse Leader, 1128,39-31,39. doi:10.1016/j.mnl.2012.11.00
Mennella, H. A., & Balderrama, D. M. (2017). Leadership: Facilitating Change. CINAHL Nursing Guide,