Introduction
Nurses play a significant role in present-day societies. The objective that informs their engagement in various team-building activities stems from the need to improve the quality of relationships that exist between them and host communities. Some roles that nurses undertake during team-building events include health screening, education on the essence of hygiene, and therapy. The health practitioners also participate in activities that empower the less privileged in the neighborhood. Through such initiatives, people in the host regions develop a positive relationship with the facility and appreciate its contribution to their welfare. Besides the development of strong ties with the community, nurses also use team building as an orientation tool for new nurses. Out of such activities, new nurses acquire insights on how teamwork enhances service delivery. Consequently, during the execution of team-building ventures, leadership skills emerge through role-assignment or assumption. When team members take up leadership positions, they handle a diverse set of nurses who have unique behavioral traits. Significantly, the essence of smart leadership skills among teams of nurses involved in community services informs the examination of role assignment in nursing, merits of leadership, goal setting, and project management.
Role Assignment in Nursing
During the process of community service, nurses need to delegate responsibilities to their colleagues so that they can increase the efficiency of service delivery. Role assignment usually takes effect after an intensive examination of the behaviors exhibited by teams. Imperatively, whereas some nurses need to take up leadership tasks, others are effective when they work under supervisors who guide them systematically. Ellis (2018) explains that while some individuals in the group take up roles after entrustment, others identify an opportunity and assume responsibility. It is out of team-building ventures that successful administrators emerge and demonstrate their skills. Services such as education of host societies on the relevance of health lifestyles compel some individuals in the team to exhibit their leadership capabilities and guide their colleagues towards the successful execution of projects. Notably, although some individuals who assume administrative roles in a group during community services may be well informed, others may not have the requisite skills. As such, it is critical for supervisors to monitor how these nurses undertake their duties after role delegation.
Systematic follow-up on role execution by appointed or emergent nurse leaders is vital because new practitioners use the process to understand the essence of service delivery. Additionally, new nurses use initiatives to assess how they can advance their expertise. Erickson et al. (2016) elucidate that intensive examination of nurse behavior before delegation or assumption of duties helps in increases the seamlessness of project delivery. At times, due to the absence of due diligence from the executive, community services fail to achieve the expected outcomes. Failure to meet the desired objectives emanates from the entrustment of unqualified nurses to headship positions. Activities such as empowerment of the less privileged, health checks, and other programs that focus on helping communities need to be productive so that the hosts and the nurses establish a healthy relationship. Remarkably, the smart association between the nurses and societies improve the reputation held y the facility and the instances when individuals in the region utilize its services. Concisely, wise allocation of roles or supervision after role assumption is vital in the realization of team building objectives.
Merits of Leadership
In several cases, leadership can be an outcome of entrustment by executives or by team members. Subsequently, nurses can assume administrative positions when individuals in the group feel that the supervisor is incompetent or is missing (Cheng, Bartram, Karimi, & Leggat, 2016). The reason behind the need to make a wise choice in leadership emanates from the associated merits. Efficiency, the achievement of the desired objectives, and effective management of people in the team are some of the benefits linked to smart administration. When nurses engage their colleagues who have the requisite skills in community service and team building, they increase the scale of knowledge held by the new professionals in the team. Besides, they also help in creating a strong bond between them and the community. In effect, smart administration is critical in elevating the quality of services that the hosts receive from the nurses as they undertake their activities. By having qualified nursing practitioners guiding the team, people in the respective community can air their issues and receive timely and appropriate feedback from the nurses.
Consequently, nurse leaders need skills to handle the diversity exhibited in the group. The different behaviors exhibited by nurses during project delivery require patience, problem-solving, and conflict management skills from the respective administrators. While some people in the group are supportive, others are difficult to manage. Plonien (2016) asserts that ideological differences are the causes of disruption in the team. Therefore, leaders should study the discrepancies demonstrated by group members and handle these disruptors carefully. Time management and equal participation from all individuals in the team minimizes instances of disruption. While smart management of time reduces challenges advanced by complicated members, it also enables those who support the ideas presented by the leader to explain their views. As such, smart leadership is vital in ensuring that nurses in community service acquire new skills and deliver medical attention as required by the hosts.
Project Management
In leadership, nurses must consider various components that include goal setting, objectives, project management, and avoidance of deviation. Such considerations are critical in team building because it improves the quality of care received by the people residing in the region where nurses are executing their community services. Additionally, these components help nurses to deliver the requirements on time and as expected by the executive. With smart leaders, the entire process of team building and community service becomes rewarding for the new nurses and the hosts. Ellis (2018) explains that goal setting follows a realistic format when competent individuals lead a set of nurses in service delivery. In some scenarios, administrators lay down non-viable deliverables, a feature that complicates the exercise and renders it impractical.
Smart supervisors understand that before commencing a project, the people in the group should receive education on the required goals, objectives, timeframe, and scope. The process of informing the members of the team must be comprehensive so that all the individuals understand these elements effectively. Therefore, throughout service delivery to the community, these nurses strive to meet the dateline and deliver what is right to the consumers. When smart leaders guide the nurses during their team-building exercise, effects related to scope creep diminish. Koskiniemi, Vakkala, and Pietiläinen (2019) claim that challenges linked to scope creeps include wastage of time, increased financial losses in medical facilities, and dissatisfaction from the target clients. As such, leadership is vital in facilitating the seamless and successful execution of community services for new nurses and hosts.
Conclusion
Programs such as team building and community service are significant in developing the skill set of new and existing nurses. The purpose of such initiatives is to empower nurses with competencies that are essential in addressing the concerns raised by the hosts. Moreover, the program helps these practitioners to interact and develop a positive relationship with the members of the community. Through effective leadership, such goals become practical, and the quality of medical attention delivered by the nurses augments.
References
Cheng, C., Bartram, T., Karimi, L., & Leggat, S. (2016). Transformational leadership and social identity as predictors of team climate, perceived quality of care, burnout, and turnover intention among nurses. Personnel Review, 45(6), 1200-1216.
Ellis, P. (2018). Leadership, management, and team working in nursing. London, UK: Learning Matters.
Erickson, H., Erickson, M., Southard, M., Brekke, M., Sandor, M., & Natschke, M. (2016). A proactive innovation for health care transformation: health and wellness nurse coaching. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 34(1), 44-55.
Koskiniemi, A., Vakkala, H., & Pietiläinen, V. (2019). Leader identity development in healthcare: An existential-phenomenological study. Leadership in Health Services, 32(1), 83-97.
Plonien, C. (2016). Bullying in the workplace: A leadership perspective. AORN journal, 103(1), 107-110.