Leadership Styles and Management in Mental Health Care
Leadership Styles and Management in Mental Health Care:
In this essay we discuss the transformational and transactional leadership styles in the management of violence and crisis situations within the clinical setting and in mental health units. We begin our discussion with studies on the need for disaster management teams and structured command system within hospitals to help ensure that patients receive proper care when needed. This structured approach is crucial, especially in high-stress environments like mental health units where unpredictable situations can arise. We then briefly discuss the differences of transformational and transactional leadership styles and suggest that both personality patterns and attitudes towards these styles determine care and change management within the hospitals. Understanding these differences is essential for creating a supportive and effective work environment for nurses and other healthcare professionals.
Leadership styles within the nursing practice can be evaluated by understanding the relationship between management and planning, change operations and organisation structure. Effective leadership is vital for navigating complex situations and ensuring smooth operations within a hospital setting. As Zane and Prestipino (2004) point out, hospital disaster manuals and response plans lack formal command structure in most cases and the hospital authorities rely on the presence of certain individuals who are familiar with hospital operations or hold leadership positions and abilities during the routine operations and management of the hospital. However, relying on a few individuals can be problematic during emergencies, as their availability is not guaranteed. Management of emergency situations, especially in case of mental health patients who are prone to violence requires the expertise of a disaster management team. A dedicated team can provide a more structured and reliable response to crisis situations.
However such leadership patterns in which the hospital does not have a formal command structure may be unreliable and during critical conditions, the relying on a few individuals may be inadequate as the concerned persons may not be available at all times and even for prolonged events of crisis, this is not a feasible option or proper management. This lack of structure can lead to confusion and delays in response, potentially putting patients and staff at risk. The Hospital Emergency Incident Command System (HEICS) is a command structure and a method suggested that provides a structured pattern of leadership which does not have to rely on specific individuals for crisis management (such as inpatient violence, or serious injury) and is more flexible and can be applied in all kinds of services such as fire services, emergency medical services, military, police agencies and improves ease of communication among professionals during crisis periods. HEICS offers a standardized framework that can be easily adapted to different healthcare settings. The study by Zane and Prestipino give a descriptive report of the implementation of the HEICS in a healthcare network and recommends that since this tool provides a complete command structure for hospitals and by being a common tool for management can enable validity, reliability of the system as well as consistency and commonality with other hospitals ad disaster response teams. By adopting a standardized system, hospitals can ensure a more coordinated and effective response to emergencies.
Considering the necessities of a disaster response team and the need for effective leadership styles of management of crises situations, in this essay we would discuss the various styles of leadership and how this relates to change management, nursing practice, and the quality of care during emergency and normal conditions . Effective leadership is essential for creating a safe and supportive environment for both patients and staff. Several issues are considered here along with examples from evidential studies and clinical research.
Bibliography
Manis, M. (2024). Leadership Style as a Predictor of Organizational Culture in Mental Health Care Settings: A Quantitative Study (Doctoral dissertation, Capella University).
Rinfret, N., Laplante, J., Lagacé, M. C., Deschamps, C., & Privé, C. (2020). Impacts of leadership styles in health and social services: A case from Quebec exploring relationships between emotional intelligence and transformational leadership. International Journal of Healthcare Management, 13(sup1), 329-339.
Specchia, M. L., Cozzolino, M. R., Carini, E., Di Pilla, A., Galletti, C., Ricciardi, W., & Damiani, G. (2021). Leadership styles and nurses’ job satisfaction. Results of a systematic review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(4), 1552.
Khairunnisa, P., & Nadjib, M. (2023, September). Effect of leadership style on service quality and job satisfaction among hospital nurses: A systematic review. In The International Conference on Public Health Proceeding (Vol. 4, No. 02, pp. 461-470).
Suliman, M., Almansi, S., Mrayyan, M., ALBashtawy, M., & Aljezawi, M. (2023). Effect of nurse managers’ leadership styles on predicted nurse turnover. Nursing management, 30(5).
