The Importance Of Transformational Leadership And Medication Errors

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Transformational Leadership and Medication Errors
Of the leadership styles, transformational leadership offers the greatest opportunity for flexibility in vertical relationships. Transformational leadership stresses the sense of greater purpose in the work, and extends beyond simply rewarding employees for meeting expectations (Weiss & Tappen, 2015). It is easy to imagine why, in this way; transformational leadership is uniquely suited for healthcare. As Weiss and Tappen point out, most people are motivated to enter the nursing field by a deep desire to help others (2015). Appealing to the greater good that nursing serves will likely be a more successful motivating force than that of simply rewarding desired behavior.
This emphasis on …show more content…

Doody and Doody (2012) posit that transformational leadership encourages leaders to motivate employees by adhering to higher moral standards. This appeal to inspire employees to behave in such a way that advances the overall mission of the organization results in employees gaining more self-actualization than they would likely see from a more transactional style of leadership. Transactional styles of leadership, which promote adherence to rules based on a reward system, tend to accomplish only the specific goals set forth by the organization (Vaismoradi et al., 2016). Transformational leadership on the other hand, encourages employees to exceed current standards and motivates them to fully adopt the deeper purpose of the organization (Lievens & Vlerick, 2013). Transformational leaders are compelling and dynamic, motivating employees by making the goal so stimulating that this vision is embraced by the team (Weiss & Tappen, 2015). Viasmoradi et al. assert that transformational leaders create a supportive environment where employees are encouraged to come up with creative solutions to challenges, resulting in an improvement in patient outcomes …show more content…

There are four integral and interrelated components of transformational leadership: idealized influence; inspirational motivation; intellectual stimulation; and individual consideration (Doody & Doody, 2012). Idealized influence relates to the development of leaders as role models. If employees are able to consider leadership as models worthy of imitation, it is easier to promote positive behaviors and attitudes among employees (Doody & Doody, 2012). Inspirational motivation allows employees to pursue their own goals while also striving to achieve the overall goal or vision of the organization (Doody & Doody, 2012). According to Doody and Doody (2012), intellectual stimulation promotes problem-solving and continual evolution by supporting and encouraging new ideas. Finally, individualized consideration encourages the aspirations of the individual, so that the employee feels supported while pursuing their own advancement (Doody& Doody). Each of these components plays a potential role in patient safety in general, and medication administration in

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