Topic 3: Applying Servant Leadership in Practice

Re: Topic 3 DQ 2
The nursing field is under constant pressure to perform at its highest level to meet daily targets. A team is stronger than its individual members, if all members work towards the same goal (Dill, 2014). Nurse leaders have the power and knowledge to influence their teams, however, achieving a high-level team can be challenging due to communication breakdown, especially if team members keep changing. Leaders maintain a performance driven team that has a sense of purpose with clear goals that everyone on the team works towards. There is clear and open communication with clarity about each team member’s role and contributions. Trust among the members and mutual respect should exist to allow effective conflict management and success of the team. For effective decision-making, leadership in a performance-driven team is shared and participative. A performance-driven team has effective working procedures that allow engagement of all members in the work of the team. The team builds on differences by appreciating diversity in terms of generation, culture and thinking. There is flexibility and adaptability among the members which foster cooperative relationships (Thomas, 2018).

Both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation can be used to inspire people to do their work. Intrinsic motivation is the personal or inherent satisfaction/enjoyment or interest that one derives from doing a certain activity. For example, one becomes a nurse because they enjoy working with people. Intrinsic motivation in nursing is associated with the desire to do good because nursing care is equated to kindness. Extrinsic motivation is the drive within an individual to do something in order to get something else, such as, awards, benefits, wages or the opportunity for promotion. Research shows that nurses who report intrinsic motivation have high levels of burnout compared to those who report both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (Dill, 2014).

It is therefore important for leaders to understand the types of motivation when it comes to team performance since the quality of services that nurses provide is often dependent on how motivated they are and their own interpretation of how they feel valued (Thomas, 2018). This understanding will provide the leader an opportunity to engage in and build relationships with individual nurses based on the type of motivation reported. This can be achieved by the display of personal interests and investments in the staff’s well-being, which may include rounding on the staff and genuine follow ups that show personal interest in the staff’s welfare (Thomas, 2018). Leaders can also use this knowledge to motivate those around them by ensuring their needs are met and aiding them achieve their full potential and self-actualization (Thomas, 2018). Understanding the differences and working with each individual nurse can help build strong healthy teams that are beneficial to the organization and patients in the long run.

References:

Dill, J. (2014). Nurses motivated by external rewards are more likely to survive on the job. The Conversation. Retrieved from: https://www.google.com/amp/s/theconversation.com

Thomas, J. S. (2018). Nursing Leadership and Management: Leading and Serving. Grand Canyon University. Retrieved from: https://www.gcumedia.com/digital-resources/grand-canyon-university/2018/nursing-leadership-and-management_leading-and-serving_1e.php

Re: Topic 3 DQ 2

Building effective teams throughout the health care system is necessary to thrive under expanding health care. A performance -driven team in healthcare is the result of nurse leaders who engage their staff, provide opportunity for personal communication, show genuine investment in the well-being of their staff, and intrinsically motivate individuals to be their very best.

Motivation is a need or drive that energizes an individual toward accomplishing a goal. It can be intrinsic or extrinsic (Verywell Mind, 2019). Intrinsic motivation moves individuals to engage in a particular behavior because it is personally rewarding and is driven by internal rewards. Engaging in the behavior itself is its own reward. For example, engaging in a lifestyle change of regular exercise, an individual will begin to feel great from the exercise, and that keeps him or her motivated to continue to exercise. Extrinsic motivation involves performing a behavior or activity to earn a reward or avoid punishment. Using the same example of exercise, an individual may train for a marathon to earn a medal for participation. If this is the only motivating factor, the individual may not be able to sustain an exercise regimen after the marathon.

Nursing provides many extrinsic rewards, such as salary, health care benefits, and status. Longstanding organizational change in healthcare, is possible under servant leadership. Servant nurse leaders working  alongside motivated interprofessional teams can work together for the best possible patient outcomes. For nurses, many factors affect a nurses’ motivation in the workplace. Baljoon, et al. (2018) found that a nurses’ work motivation is often affected by serval personal and organization factors which are crucial in affecting the level of nurses’ work motivation. Nurse leadership within a servant leadership framework can help nurses’ stay intrinsically motivated by understanding these factors, and channeling a nurses’ work effort to accomplish the goals of the organization. This effort inspires a performance-driven team.

References

Baljoon, R. A., Banjar, H. E., Banakhar, M. A. (2018). Nurses’ work motivation and the factors affecting it: A scoping review. International Journal of Nursing & Clinical Practices 5(277) 1-10. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.15344/2394-4978/2018/277

Verywell Mind (2019). Intrinisic Motivation [website]. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-intrinsic-motivation-2795385