¶ … Leadership Management Effective Approaches Leadership Management

Different personalities practice different management styles, while different management styles are suited to different personalities. It is very important for a manager to make sure that their employees are motivated and their work rates are up to the mark. The employees of any organization need to be motivated in order to maintain a fair attendance at the office along with enough motivation that employees would want to continue to carry on working. This motivation can be maintained by different managerial techniques for example keeping the employees involved in the decision making of the organization-having an autocratic leadership style of management is not likely to make employees feel part of the business; in fact, giving them more responsibility and a greater role in the activities of the organization should make them feel more involved and also they will feel more encouraged and motivated if the organization succeeds in achieving any targets.

According to Abraham Maslow's theory of hierarchy of needs, it is important for a person to feel motivated by feeling involved and being respected for the good work that they have done while feeling the sense of achievement for doing something positive (Maslow). Good leaders need to keep this ideology in check while dealing with their employees as this will only help and solve their problems such low turnover and demotivation. Meanwhile, by formulating an incentive-based system to avoid low attendances at work, managers can make sure that this issue is resolved and they would not have to face it anymore. A strict policy against absences might not be well received by the employees, and it may even create a negative impact.

It is preferable that such an idea be formed that is productive in its objective as well as exciting, encouraging and motivating for the employees. For example, a bonus for the employees who achieve full attendance during the month can be granted; this will reduce absenteeism and also allow a better running of the organization as work will run more smoothly if employees do not take more days off. The organization can achieve its desired objectives only by implementing the correct policy, knowing the psychology and behavior of their workers is very important and should set the tone as to how to approach the occurring problem. The nursing turnover problem is already being affected in the U.S. with the situation expected to get worse by 30% in another ten years (Muthuvava). Therefore, hospitals need to adopt appropriate measures to keep the workers motivated, stress free and under a good environment. A provision of a positive working environment, along with growth opportunities would keep the workers satisfied and encourage the workers to continue with their current jobs, as the aspect of retaining workers is much preferred by the employers as the cost of burden of hiring new workers and training them is quite excessive along with time consuming.

Another theory is Hersey-Blanchard's model of situational leadership in which the leader's guidance and communication depends on the maturity level of the employee. The leader must first determine the maturity level or the motivational level of the employee. In order to increase this maturity level, the leader must increase his frequency of delivering instructions until he feels the employee has achieved sufficient maturity. At the point when the employee has reached moderate level of maturity, the leader must reduce his level of instructions and let the employee be involved in two way discussions with the leader in order to carry on with his/her job more effectively. Once the employee has reached sufficient level of maturity, the leader must stop all guidance and instructions to the employee and allow them liberty to carry on with their work independently.

Moreover, it is important for the leader to determine the maturity level of the employee in order to determine the leadership style that...

They might be providing the employees with proper guidelines and instructions (telling), gives proper instructions to the employee while indulging in discussions (selling), give the employee liberty to carry on with their work on their own while having discussions regarding their work (participating) or giving the employees full liberty to carry on with their work without having to provide any instructions to the employee. (Cliffs Notes)
This theory is useful to determine the behavior of different employees and to manage them accordingly. Some individuals may react negatively to high level of dictation while some workers might not be able to function properly unless they are guided in a proper manner. This theory enables us to use certain leadership styles on certain people which might be most appropriate given the personnel, provided the motivational levels of the employees have been identified.

Another theory is House path's goal theory which was developed by Robert House, and according to the theory the leaders are required to adopt certain styles that are dependent on the sort of results and level of work that they require from their employees. The leader might set goals or targets for the employee and expect them to perform at a higher level than they otherwise would be performing (achievement oriented). Some jobs might need high level of dictation and therefore the leader might be required to guide the employee more specifically in order to carry on with their work more effectively. The leader might also give out an approachable and friendly style of leadership which encourages the employee to ask more questions and tries to put an effort to increase the confidence of the employee; this might be appropriate for the workers that lack confidence and a greater induction of confidence in the employees might enhance their productivity. The final approach is to indulge in participative discussions between employer and employee in order to guide the employee in the right direction. This kind of strategy is most appropriate when the worker is not good at following protocols or making the right decisions. (Cliffs Notes)

It is immensely important for all managers to convey their messages to their employees clearly and accurately so that the work that the employees undertake is done promptly and accurately. Any lack of information or misusage of words could lead to the damaging of the tasks that have been transmitted (Wertheim, 1979). The medium of communication is not as significant as the clarity of the message (Shih W. C, 2003). As long as the message is communicated clearly and there is no ambiguity, the employee will have the confidence to carry out their work properly and the running of the organization would be smooth. By encouraging a democratic or paternalistic style of leadership (Javed, 2009), the manager can influence the productivity of the workers positively, while this communication can also positively impact the turnover of nurses in a hospital. By motivating the workers and providing them with a sense of achievement for their efforts, this problem could be dampened.

I feel that adopting Hersey-Blanchard's model of situational leadership is an appropriate method to sort out the nursing turnover problem that most hospitals are facing. As long as individuals are motivated and rewarded for their good work, they will be encouraged to continue working and would be happy to come to work daily. It is also important that the managers realize the needs of the workers and make adjustments in order to cater to their needs, which might be to provide a positive working environment, job security or a lighter work load. As long as the less experienced staff is given proper guidance and the more experienced staff members are given their due respect then sufficient satisfaction of the workers might be observed. The workers need to feel a sense of belonging to the work they are doing and that task needs to be accomplished by the managers, as it is their job…