Updated: May 6th, 2024

The Shared Leadership in Nursing Report (Assessment)

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The shared leadership (SL) model receives increasing recognition and support within the modern leadership theory. According to Zhu et al. (2018), shared leadership is characterized by three main features: horizontal hierarchy, team-level cooperation, and distribution of influence across many individuals. This assignment attempts to relate SL to the role of Advanced Practice Nurse (APN), making the case that SL benefits APNs on several levels. The paper draws evidence from academic sources to define additional SL characteristics that enhance patient care quality. Overall, collected evidence demonstrates that SL receives well-deserved acclaim and should be considered in APNs’ training and education.

Model Characteristics Shared Leadership (SL)	Application to Your Advanced Practice Role Advanced Practice Nurse (APN)
Characteristic 1: Distribution of influence — leadership is distributed across the many, not the few (Zhu et al., 2018).	Leadership is a shared responsibility and competence of all nursing roles (Lamb et al., 2018). Therefore, the shared responsibility model helps APNs influence the care process and use their expertise to achieve better patient outcomes. In particular, SL utilizes a horizontal, lateral pattern of influence distribution, which transfers the functions of a designated or elected leader to the team members (Zhu et al., 2018). Consequently, APNs employed by a healthcare organization receive a chance to improve the current practice if the shared leadership model is implemented.
Characteristic 2: Interprofessional collaboration — a partnership between people from diverse backgrounds who work together to solve problems or provide services (Goldsberry, 2018).	SL facilitates interprofessional collaboration in healthcare, which helps establish contacts between APNs, patients, and whole communities. According to Goldsberry (2018), SL acts as a prerequisite for effective interprofessional collaboration. At the same time, SL represents a vital part of an interprofessional collaboration by creating a supportive environment of shared responsibility for community health.
Characteristic 3: Caring relationships within the team — mutual kindness, sense of belonging, and meeting humanistic needs (Wei et al., 2020).	Caring relationships built with the assistance of SL may serve as a foundation for effective collaboration. According to Wei et al. (2020), a sense of belonging is necessary for collaboration within interprofessional healthcare teams. As potential members of such teams, APNs directly benefit if SL is implemented in their workplace.
Characteristic 4: Ownership mentality — feeling empowered regardless of professions, titles, and roles in a healthcare team (Wei et al., 2020).	SL directly contributes to the development of the ownership mentality, providing the team members with the necessary autonomy to adjust the care process. The sense of ownership and responsibility boosts the team’s morale, making its members more inclined to participate actively in patient care (Wei et al., 2020). In this regard, SL creates an environment where APNs’ contribution is valued and respected. As a result, APNs become a more significant part of patient care.
Characteristic 5: Diffusion of innovation — introduction of innovative technologies and evidence-based practices (Currie & Spyridonidis, 2019).	SL facilitates the diffusion and acceptance of new technologies and practices in healthcare settings. According to Currie and Spyridonidis (2019), SL allows managers to identify and define the problems worth pursuing and creates a context favorable to generating viable ideas. In the healthcare context, SL may enable APNs to act as line managers who champion innovations and evidence-based practices and have the power to drive beneficial change.
Characteristic 6: Constructive feedback — regular communication among team members, which helps cultivate trusting relationships and improve a team (Wei et al., 2020).	Effective communication is vital for a successful team effort and continuous professional improvement. SL fosters communication by enabling regular and constructive feedback sessions, where team members are encouraged to speak openly, without fear of harsh criticism. According to Wei et al. (2020), constructive feedback is essential for the delivery of high-quality patient care. In relation to APNs, SL is particularly valuable since it allows the APNs to share their frontline experience, which can subsequently be used to enhance the care process.
Characteristic 7: Strength-based practice — mutual recognition of each team member’s strengths aimed at compensating for their weaknesses (Wei et al., 2020).	SL helps reveal individual team members’ strengths and encourages them to apply their strong professional sides to the collective effort. In regard to APNs, SL lowers the pressure on individual nurses, making it possible to deliver well-rounded care (Wei et al., 2020). Ultimately, each APN receives a chance to make an appreciated contribution based on their professional strengths.

In conclusion, one can support the initial positive assessment of the SL model. In addition to its natural features, SL facilitates the development of such important characteristics as caring relationships, ownership mentality, and constructive feedback (Wei et al., 2020). These characteristics create favorable conditions for APNs’ increased participation in the patient care process, contributing to their professional growth. In addition, the SL model provides the grounds for patient care quality improvement since SL facilitates the diffusion of innovation. Given these findings, one can recommend the SL model to healthcare organizations interested in the professional development of APNs and the overall improvement of patient care.

References

Currie, G., & Spyridonidis, D. (2019). Sharing leadership for diffusion of innovation in professionalized settings. Human Relations, 72(7), 1209-1233. Web.

Goldsberry, J. W. (2018). Advanced practice nurses leading the way: Interprofessional collaboration. Nurse Education Today, 65, 1-3. Web.

Lamb, A., Martin‐Misener, R., Bryant‐Lukosius, D., & Latimer, M. (2018). Describing the leadership capabilities of advanced practice nurses using a qualitative descriptive study. Nursing Open, 5(3), 400-413. Web.

Wei, H., Corbett, R. W., Ray, J., & Wei, T. L. (2020). A culture of caring: the essence of healthcare interprofessional collaboration. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 34(3), 324-331. Web.

Zhu, J., Liao, Z., Yam, K. C., & Johnson, R. E. (2018). Shared leadership: A state‐of‐the‐art review and future research agenda. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 39(7), 834-852. Web.

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