Transactional Leadership Theory In Nursing

Transactional Leadership is based on the principles of the social exchange theory, in which an individual would expect to give and receive benefits or rewards when engaging in a social interaction (Sullivan, 2012). The interaction will cease if one or both person decides that the exchange of benefits and rewards are no longer worthwhile. Transactional Leadership theory also focus on the task that need to be carried out and makes sure they are done the right way as compared to Transformational Leadership theory which focus on staff empowerment (Marquis and Huston, 2015).

A nurse manger in a department or ward is a good example of Transactional Leadership theory. The nurse manager is committed to the job and focus on day-to-day operational

Using SWOT analysis, the “Strength” would be to motivate and engage registered nurses who are supportive of the management and leadership of the nurse managers. Using eIMR has the potential of reducing healthcare cost and medication error; which can enhance patient safety (Spratt and Dickson, 2088). It can also promote positive attitude of nurses towards computerisation (Kipturgo et al., 2014).

“Weakness” in SWOT analysis would be the time and resources required to train the nursing staff in using the eIMR system. Extra budget is needed for training the nursing staff and a new IT support teams is needed for the new system. There is a lack of support from physicians as a separate medication ordering system will be used, creating an increased in workload and reduction in patient interaction time (Park et al.,

Unlike Lippitt’s change theory, Lewin emphasised on teams or work groups to bring about change. The reason being people in an organisation work in groups, and that individual behaviour will have to be conformed to the groups’ norms and fundamental practices (Burnes, 2009).

“Unfreezing” is the stage to destabilize the current equilibrium so as to initiate change. According to Kurt Lewin’s Force Field Analysis (Lewin 1951), behaviour is a force in equilibrium and change will only occur when there is a disequilibrium in the force. The most important step for this stage is to identify the change focus, which in this case is the implementation of eIMR in the ED. The change agent will be the nurse manager in the department, and the task at this stage will be to make others see the need for change, and also to assess the readiness for change within the