Power has varied definitions. According to Mullins power is considered as having control, influence or dominion over something or resources (Mullins, 2002).As stated by Benner” Power includes caring practices by nurses which are used to empower Patients” (Benner, 2001) . Ideally, nursing leaders must have knowledge and abilities which are strong in the multi-factorial domains of nursing practice (E.A. Ward, 2001).The challenge of leadership is all about how leaders can channel their subordinates to get things accomplished. It is about transforming ideas into actions, dreams into realities, and problems into solutions and hurdles into positive outcomes (Kouzes J. M., & Posner, B. Z. 2015). the power in the leader that encourages …show more content…
The different types of power are legitimate power, Reward power, Expert power, Referent power and Coercive power. For all these types, the stronger the basis of power, the greater the power portrayed.
The Protagonist
As mentioned earlier, members of the team were put together to take over the idea of Nurse –Led Discharge which was the brainchild of Tracey Burns. It was the pivotal roles played by the matrons personally and as a group which helped in taking the task forward. All of them had to use their personal power sources to motivate their subordinates to reach the initiative i.e., to have steady patient flows in the overcrowded waiting areas of A/E and the wards.
This section of the assignment deals with critically analysing the power tactics employed by Nikki Thorton, who was one among the main protagonists in this case study. Nikki Thorton was a matron from Clover Hospital who performed like an “activist” as described by Sue Green. Thorton had volunteered herself to promote the process of Nurse Led Discharge as she was closely involved with the project. Thorton took the lead on the training and piloting of the project of Nurse Led Discharge at the NHS trust. The strength of the power strategies or tactics used by the leader has been analysed as a role of personal, organizational and cultural antecedents. (Koslowsky and Schwarz Wald, 1993; Raven and Kruglanski, 1970) Thorton used her knowledge and expertise to develop a training program for all the nurses to undergo which would render them competent to safely discharge a