Leadership and Change Management Approaches Applied to Quality Improvement Proposal

Part 6: A Critical Analysis of Leadership and Change Management Approaches Applied to the Planned Implementation of the Quality Improvement Proposal, Considering Barriers and Enablers
Leadership Styles
My quality improvement project applies democratic and transformational leadership styles.
Democratic Leadership
Democratic leadership is a leadership style that allows everyone's participation in decision-making. This means that each person can share their ideas and opinions with the management on what they feel should be done to improve (Cummings et al., 2010). Leaders who apply this style in their management practices encourage the staff to communicate and contribute to decision-making and problem-solving openly. They focus on building relationships to enhance job satisfaction and staff development (Jambawo, 2018). During decision-making, the leader first gathers ideas and feedback from all team members before making the final decision (Giltinane, 2013). This means that the final decision still lies with the leader despite allowing members to contribute.
Durmuş & Kırca (2020) noted that this leadership style is one of the most influential models in a healthcare setting. Allowing junior members to take part in decision-making makes them feel valued and recognised by the management (McKeown & Carey, 2015). Once the members feel valued and appreciated, they can give their best. Democratic leaders understand the employee's role in an organisation and acknowledge that they are the most critical asset for its growth and development (Asamani et al., 2016). This style is considered the best leadership mode because all professionals’ skills and abilities contribute equally to organisational success.
The application of democratic leadership in nursing practice has numerous benefits. First, it enables the leader to develop new ideas and more creative solutions to the problems faced. It allows everyone to share their views on addressing an issue and improving performance (McKeown & Carey, 2015). Second, democratic leadership increases member commitment. The inclusivity encouraged by these leaders enables individuals to express their challenges to be addressed (Specchia et al., 2021). This makes the members feel valued, increasing their commitment to service delivery—members who feel valued also become committed and involved in achieving organisational goals. Simply put, this leadership style promotes input from the entire team. However, it comes with some drawbacks.
One of the disadvantages of democratic leadership is that it slows the decision-making process due to the increased participation of all members (Jambawo, 2018). The consultations consume a lot of time, leading to delays before making the final decision. Communication failures may also occur, especially in unclear roles and in cases with limited time for consultations. Another drawback is the possibility of poor decision-making. It is worth noting that not all members are skilled in making informed decisions (Sherring, 2012). Engaging people with insufficient knowledge or expertise to make critical decisions may result in poor decision-making, which can harm the organisation.
Democratic leadership might be appropriate for my quality improvement plan proposal because it encourages everyone's participation in decision-making. My proposal requires teamwork and collaboration of other healthcare professionals to make it effective. Valuing everyone's views about using naloxone in treating opioid dependence among individuals released from police custody would help generate more creative interventions to be used alongside the proposed medication. This leadership style will also ensure that every healthcare professional is committed to achieving the set goals. As a newly qualified nurse, this leadership style would suit me because it would help me engage with more experienced members in decision-making. I might apply democratic leadership in my project by allowing team members to openly communicate and vote on the best course of action.
Transformational Leadership
Transformational leadership is a management style that motivates followers to innovate and create change will help shape the organisation's future success (Giltinane, 2013). This is achieved by setting an example at the executive level. These include challenging followers to take significant ownership and independence, being a role model, and understanding followers’ strengths and weaknesses (Durmuş & Kırca, 2020). Leaders who value this approach inspire their followers without micromanaging. They trust skilled employees to take authority over decisions in their assigned tasks. By doing so, transformational leaders teach followers how to think instead of just doing what they are told. It allows them to be creative, look to the future and find new solutions to old problems (Asamani et al., 2016). In other words, the transformational leadership style focuses on transforming followers with the end goal of developing followers into leaders.
The advantage of transformational leadership is that it drives change by positively influencing followers’ behaviours. For an organisation to improve, it must be willing to change. Adopting a transformational leadership style is ideal for bringing others on board when introducing a vision (Specchia et al., 2021). They can realise the required changes and work toward achieving their potential. In the same context, transformational leadership encourages professional development. It inspires individuals to grow their skill sets, embrace new challenges and develop their expertise to advance in their careers (Sherring, 2012). When team members feel supported by their leaders, they become more willing to take risks and pursue challenges that increase their personal and development growth.
Another benefit is maintaining workplace integrity. Transformational leaders encourage followers to concentrate on tasks at hand while acting in the organisation's best interest (Sherring, 2012). A transformational leader treats everyone equally, promotes open communication, conducts self-assessments, and rewards honesty to maintain integrity. Additionally, this style improves communication. Transformational leadership enhances excellent communication between team members and management because leaders must provide regular feedback to their followers to ensure they are headed in the right direction (Jambawo, 2018). They may lead by example and use effective communication skills when developing their expectations with their followers.
Transformational leadership also experiences some disadvantages despite proving to be an effective management approach. One of its disadvantages is increased pressure on team members. Leaders who use this model distribute accountability across the group (Cummings et al., 2010). While this gives members autonomy, some people might find this style too taxing, leaving them feeling overwhelmed or exploited. Another disadvantage is fewer checks and balances. Transformational leadership requires leaders to be highly influential to directly shape the followers' thoughts (Specchia et al., 2021).
Since this style aims to encourage team members to adopt a shared mindset about change, it can make it more difficult for members to raise any concerns (Asamani et al., 2016). When transformational leaders control the followers’ thoughts, it is difficult to detect the negative aspects of organisational processes. This absence of checks and balances can block the team from identifying work flaws.
This leadership approach might be appropriate for my quality improvement plan as it entails motivating team members to be productive and achieve their goals. My quality improvement plan requires an equitable workplace where leaders and their team members share responsibility for positive outcomes. Transformational leadership best suits this aspect. Also, this leadership style can improve how healthcare teams communicate. As a newly qualified nurse, transformational leadership will work well with me because it will help me maintain constant communication with my colleagues to reduce misunderstandings. With transformational leadership, nurses in police custody will be compelled to work together with outside healthcare professionals to develop creative measures for reducing opioid dependency among individuals released from custody.
I have chosen democratic and transformational approaches for my quality improvement because they are team-first leadership styles where the leader focuses...