Leadership roles and management functions in Nursing : Theory and application

This book’s philosophy has evolved over the past 30 years of teaching leadership and management. We entered academe from the community sector of the health care industry, where
we held nursing management positions. In our first effort as authors, Management Decision Making for Nurses: 101 Case Studies, published in 1987, we used an experiential approach
and emphasized management functions appropriate for first- and middle-level managers. The primary audience for this text was undergraduate nursing students.
Our second book, Retention and Productivity Strategies for Nurse Managers, focused on leadership skills necessary for managers to decrease attrition and increase productivity. This
book was directed at the nurse–manager rather than the student. The experience of completing research for the second book, coupled with our clinical observations, compelled us to incorporate more leadership content in our teaching and to write this book.
Leadership Roles and Management Functions in Nursing was also influenced by national events in business and finance that led many to believe that a lack of leadership in management was widespread. It became apparent that if managers are to function effectively in the rapidly changing health care industry, enhanced leadership and management skills are needed.

The second concept that shaped this book was our commitment to developing critical thinking skills through the use of experiential learning exercises and the promotion of whole-brain
thinking. We propose that integrating leadership and management and using whole-brain thinking can be accomplished through the use of learning exercises. The majority of academic
instruction continues to be conducted in a teacher-lecturer–student-listener format, which is one of the least effective teaching strategies. Few individuals learn best using this style.
Instead, most people learn best by methods that utilize concrete, experiential, self-initiated, and real-world learning experiences.