Elevated turnover rates are highly common among the nursing staff due to the specificity of this medical profession. The significant physical and emotional toll, excessive stress, and burnout often prompt performance and adaptation issues, forcing the nurses to leave their occupation after a short period of time (Wei et al., 2020). In this regard, it is necessary to promote change in the nursing environment, positively affecting the employees and ensuring their well-being. A prominent approach that addresses this issue is the use of a nurse leader’s power to increase their influence on the nursing personnel, elevating their resistance to challenges and initiating the process of change.
A nurse leader’s power is a considerable advantage that allows the executive to influence the employees and produce positive outcomes. Professional influence excludes the implementation of excessive force or commands, instead being supported by the leader’s authority and professional competencies (Sundean et al., 2021). In the nursing environment, it is essential for the leader to explore both organizational and inspirational possibilities, using available resources to create better working conditions for the nurses (Adams et al., 2019). Therefore, the complications related to nurse burnout could be successfully addressed using the executive’s powers of authority and communication (Ducharme et al., 2017). By demonstrating professional competence in negating burnout and communicating successful mitigation strategies, the leader can empower the nurses to overcome stress and exhaustion, thus decreasing the negative workplace impact. In addition, it is crucial for the leader to remain proactive, consistently promoting activities that elevate the physical and mental resilience of the employees.
During the process of change, the leader is expected to maintain a proper level of influence over the workers, aiding them in adapting to the novel developments. In this regard, the executive’s confidence and commitment become the primary factors that increase the exerted influence and inspire the nurses to improve their working conditions (Sundean et al., 2021). However, such issues as resistance and non-compliance can adversely affect the leader’s influence, consequently compelling the nursing staff to avoid novel behavior and ignore suggested changes (Sundean et al., 2021). Although appropriate exertion of influence through authority and communication rarely leads to such problems, a nurse leader should remain aware of such possibilities, aiming to prevent their occurrence as early as possible.
References
Adams, A., Hollingsworth, A., & Osman, A. (2019). The implementation of a Cultural Change Toolkit to reduce nursing burnout and mitigate nurse turnover in the emergency department. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 45(4), 452–456.
Ducharme, M., Bernhardt, J., Padula, C., & Adams, J. (2017). Leader influence, the professional practice environment, and nurse engagement in essential nursing practice. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 47(7-8), 367–375.
Sundean, L. J., Han, H. P., Waddell, A., & Adams, J. M. (2021). A concept analysis of influence for nurse leaders. Nursing Outlook, 69(3), 286–292.
Wei, H., King, A., Jiang, Y., Sewell, K. A., & Lake, D. M. (2020). The impact of nurse leadership styles on nurse burnout: A systematic literature review. Nurse Leader, 18(5), 439–450.