Collective Leadership Theory In Nursing

Utility of collective leadership theory in nursing by nurse leaders to implement their roles:

This topic deals with the meaning and characteristics of collective leadership style and its use in nursing by nurse leaders to carry out their roles effectively. The roles of the nurse leader will also be discussed in brief to give a connection.

The key focuses of the collective leadership are accountability, responsibilities and leadership culture which works hand in hand to develop both individual and and organisational levels (West et al 2014). It stresses on continues critical learning by evidence based and reflective practice to improve quality care. In contrast, other leadership styles (e.g. Autocratic leadership style) which focuses on individual

Authors describe that leadership development is created by providing collective abilities and creating integration of leadership development with development of the organization. In traditional leadership development, collective development is neglected while individual development was the central concern. This contradicts the collective leadership development. The components of leadership strategies according to West et al (2014)

The king’s fund (2011) argues that the concept of heroic leadership s no longer accepted rather, a need for ‘shared leadership’ as a model is in urgent call within many organizations. Implementation of collective leadership strategy involves complex steps with four elements as below (Eckert et al 2014):

Discovery phase: This phase involves critical and in-depth analyzing individual’s abilities and organization’s capacity to maintain collective leadership style. It is done by assessing the present and future scope and potential challenges face by organization as well as individuals. This phase focuses to answer the question, “What do we need from our leadership to successfully implement our strategy and fulfil our mission?”.

Design phase: This phase determines the need for collective leadership in next 3-5 years and marked in leadership strategies which focuses on tackling the challenges in future. Design phase answers the question, “What skills, capabilities, competencies and behaviors must our leaders demonstrate in order for them to shape the cultures of care we