NSG451 Week 1 Assignment Leadership Theories in Practice

NSG451 Week 1 Assignment Leadership Theories in Practice

Leadership Theories in Practice

As you learned in NSG/416: Theoretical Development and Conceptual Frameworks, theory-guided practice improves patient outcomes because of purposeful systematic application. As you grow in the nurse leader role, you will see that the same holds true for theory-guided leadership. This assignment is designed to link leadership theory to practice and connect your past and current experience to help you grow as a leader.

Complete the Leadership Theories in Practice worksheet.

Click the Assignment Files tab to submit your worksheet with citations.

Leadership Theories in Practice

Review the leadership theories on pages 9-11 and Gardner’s Tasks of Leading/Managing on pages 14-15 in Leading and Managing in Nursing.

Complete the table below:

Theory Name	Summary Definition	Practice Example	Application of Gardner’s Tasks
Trait Theories
Style Theories
Situational-Contingency Theories
Transformational Theories
Hierarchy of Needs
Two-Factor Theory
Expectancy Theory
Organizational Behavior Modification

• Summarize the main points of the theory in your own words in the Summary Definition column.

• Provide an example where you witnessed the theory in practice or suggest a situation where it could be applicable in the Practice Example column. Do not restate the Application to Practice column in the textbook; provide a unique example or suggest a possible scenario.

• Correlate at least one of Gardner’s task to the theory and practice example in the last column.

Use at least five in-text citations in the table to support your summaries, practice examples, or application of Gardner’s Tasks. In the References section below the table, create an APA-formatted list to cite each resource.

 

MORE INFO 

Leadership Theories in Practice

Introduction

In this chapter, we’ll discuss the leadership theory of trait theory.

Trait theory

Trait theory is a theory in leadership development that suggests that certain personality traits are inherent, permanent and universal. These traits are called “traits,” and they can be used to predict future behavior, explain past behaviors and help managers understand their employees’ strengths and weaknesses.

According to trait theorists such as Robert Hogan (1982) and Peter Drucker (1985), all individuals have certain fixed character traits which make them who they are at their core (e.g., conscientiousness). The two most important factors influencing an individual’s behavior are internal factors—such as motivation or self-confidence—and external factors—such as rewards or punishments from others.[1]

Behavioral theories

Behavioral theories focus on the individual and their actions. Theories include:

• Trait theory: It demonstrates that leadership qualities are innate, rather than learned or developed. People with certain personality traits are more likely to become leaders over others who do not share those traits.

• Behavioral theory: This discusses how behaviors affect performance at work, as well as how they can be changed by leaders who have authority over employees or subordinates.* Situational Leadership Theory (SLT): It states that there is no single type of leader; instead there is a wide spectrum of styles ranging from transformational to transactional.* Transformational Leadership Style (TLS): TLS focuses on developing leaders’ ability to motivate other people in order for them achieve goals through helping others understand their own potentials as well as providing support during difficult times

Situational theories

Situational theories are based on the concept that leadership is affected by the external environment and other factors. The following are some examples of situational theories:

• Leadership style theory – This theory states that there are different types of leaders, each with their own personality and style of leadership.

• Contingency theory – This theory states that there are no general rules for leadership because circumstances change constantly, which means leaders must adapt to changing situations as they occur.

• Symbiotic theory – This perspective suggests that when two people work together in harmony they form an “organic whole” where both parts benefit from each other’s contributions (and vice versa).

Takeaway:

Leadership theories are important to use in practice because they can help you understand the situation and make decisions on what to do. For example, if you want to be a leader, then you should know the different leadership theories so that when someone asks you “What is your favorite leadership theory?” You can answer confidently!

Conclusion

Trait theory is a good way to think about leadership, but it’s not always the best fit for every situation. Behavioral theories are more predictive, but can be harder to apply in practice. Situational theories are easier to make sense of, but they don’t help us understand why we should act as leaders or how we should lead. The takeaway from this post? It all depends on what type of leader you want to be!