Nursing Leadership

Paper Summary:

The paper reviews the work of Peter Senge and his 'mental model'. The paper makes an assessment of a nursing unit, including a staff profile, turnover and retention statistics and provides a cultural assessment and personal observation. The paper discusses experiences that have served to shape a vision of what a nursing unit or department should be and how the transformation might be led.

Outline:
Objective
Introduction
Communication: Issue Identified Within the Department
Identification of Core Values/Principles
Positive Advocacy and Inquiry Elements
'Creative Tension': What Is It?
Dissemination of Information
Summary & Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Nursing leadership is a role within an organization that carries with it great responsibility and as well great accountability standards. It is critical that the entire organization have the self-same vision or mental image of what the organization intends to aim for insofar as structure, management and organization in terms of changes. Peter Senge writes that "mental models determine not only how we make sense of the world, but how we take action." Senge reminds the reader that many times the plans that are conceived of never come to fruition and he states that this is not because of "weak intention, wavering will, or even nonsystemic understanding" but instead is due to the "...conflict with deeply held internal images of how the world works....[and that limit humans] "...to familiar ways of thinking and acting." (Senge, 1990) According to Senge: "Mental models can be simple generalizations...or they can be complex theories..."(1990)"

Sample of Sources Used:

• Latchen, Sue; Iskander, Roma; Meyrick, Jane; and Duggan, Maria (2003)"Supporting PCT Nurse Leads in Working With Complexity: Leading with Emergence, Innovation and Adaptation" Health Development Agency 2003. Online available at: http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:bd1e-cZqpwcJ:www.hda.nhs.uk/documents/support_pct_nurse_leads.pdf+nursing+leadership:+Senge,+fifth+discipline,+communication,+creative+tension&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=20
• Kohles, Jeffrey C. (2000) The Vision Integration Process: Leadership, Communication, and a Reconceptualization of Vision. Paper presented at the 2000 Academy of Management Meetings, Toronto, Canada. Online available at: http://www.ccl.org/leadership/pdf/research/awards/kohles.pdf?SEARCHBTN.X=0\&SEARCHBTN.Y=0
• Wakefield, Michael (2005) Leading in Times of Transition - Trust Me: Communication is Key. October 2005 Center for Creative Leadership - Leading Effectively. Online available at: http://www.ccl.org/leadership/enewsletter/2005/OCTtrust.aspx?SEARCHBTN.X=0\&SEARCHBTN.Y=0&pageId=1372.
• Senge, P.M. (1990). The fifth discipline. The practice of the learning organization. New York: Basic Books.
• Prince, Don W. and Hoppe, Michael W. (2000) Communicating Across Cultures. Center for Creative Leadership. Online available at: http://www.ccl.org/leadership/pdf/publications/whenBeingYourself.pdf.

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