Exploring Various Leadership Styles to Use Among Nurses Towards Challenges Faced Within the 21st Century: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The workforce for registered nurses (RNs) are currently facing unprecedented challenges. Current challenges such as the consequences associated with patient falls and healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) have placed a social and financial burden on the U.S. healthcare system. What’s more, future challenges such as the expected retirement for baby boomers and an expected shortage on the availability of medical physicians has raised many concerns for healthcare organizations on how they will deliver care in the years to come. The conclusion is that these challenges will significantly affect the well-being of the RN workforce. Hence, because of these challenges, the objective of this research was to explore various leadership styles to use among nurses towards challenges faced within the 21st century. By focusing on these challenges, the researcher provided findings around ethics and its impact on decision-making. Thereafter, the researcher highlighted common leadership styles that are used, and then proposed a new leadership theory, servant leadership, as an option for Chief Nursing Officers to use to help guide its nursing workforce going forward.