Ch 4 Book and Lecture Questions

2. A unit team leader who fails to provide direction to his or her nursing care team is a(n): 1. Democratic leader 2. Laissez-faire leader 3. Autocratic leader 4. Situational leader

2. Answer: 2 Rationales: 1. Democratic leaders are active leaders, not passive leaders. 2. Laissez-faire leaders are passive, inactive leaders who would not provide direction. 3. Autocratic leaders are often too directive and controlling. 4. Situational leaders are adaptive but will spell out team members' responsibilities.

3. A democratic nurse leader consistently works to: 1. Move the group toward the leader ' s goals 2. Make little or no attempt to move the group 3. Share leadership with the group 4. Dampen creativity

3. Answer: 3 Rationales: 1. Democratic leaders do not set goals without consulting with or recognizing the group's goals. 2. Democratic leaders are active, not passive. 3. Democratic or participative leaders are characterized by their inclusion of team members in important decisions. 4. Autocratic leadership squelches creativity, whereas democratic leadership fosters it.

4. The Situational Leadership Model focuses on: 1. Both followers and the task 2. The task 3. The follower 4. The behavior of others

4. Answer: 1 Rationales: 1. Th e situational leadership approach considers the complexity of a situation, which would include followers and the task at hand. 2. A focus only on the task(s) to be done is too limited for the situational approach. 3. Likewise, a focus only on the follower would be too limited. 4. Behavior is an important, but not the only, focus of situational leadership.

_____ emphasizes the importance of understanding all the factors that affect a particular group of people in a particular environment. A. Emotional intelligence theory of leadership B. Laissez-faire leadership C. Trait theory of leadership D. Situational theory of leadership

D Situational theories recognize the complexity of work situations and encourage the leader to consider many factors when deciding what action to take.

1. An important competency that nurse leaders need to develop in order to lead effectively is the: 1. Ability to be firm and inflexible 2. Ability to be close-minded and to ignore negative feedback 3. Ability to communicate effectively with others 4. Ability to follow orders without questioning them

1. Answer: 3 Rationales: 1. Inflexibility is not a leadership competency. In fact, it impedes leadership effectiveness. 2. Leaders who ignore negative feedback may lose opportunities to improve their leadership effectiveness. 3. Ability to communicate effectively with other people is one of the three competencies identified by Hersey and Campbell. 4. Nurse leaders need to be critical thinkers. Th ere are times when they are obligated as caring professionals to question directions, requests, or medical orders.

10. Autocratic leaders: 1. Postpone decision making as long as possible 2. Share leadership with members of the team 3. Give orders and make decisions without consulting the team 4. Encourage creativity when problem solving

10. Answer: 3 Rationales: 1. Postponing decision making is a characteristic of laissez-faire leaders; autocratic leaders are more active. 2. Autocratic leaders make decisions independently; they generally do not share decision making with their teams. 3. Autocratic leaders frequently give orders and make decisions without consulting with team members. 4. Encouraging creativity when problem-solving is more characteristic of democratic (participative) leaders.

6. Transformational nursing leaders have the ability to: 1. Increase the negativity of the team 2. Work best alone 3. Define the group ' s mission and communicate that mission to others 4. Pay close attention to the weaknesses and shortcomings of others

6. Answer: 3 Rationales: 1. An effective leader would increase the positivity of the team, not its negativity. 2. Transformational leaders work with others, not alone. 3. Transformational leaders help their teams define their mission and see how their work helps them achieve their mission. 4. Transformational leaders do not focus their attention on team members' weaknesses.

7. An effective leader will have: Select all that apply. 1. Courage and integrity 2. A critical mind-set 3. The ability to set priorities 4. The ability to provide feedback

7. Answer: 1, 2, 3, 4 Rationales: 1. Integrity and courage are qualities of an effective leader. 2. Th inking critically is a behavior of effective leaders. 3. Setting priorities is another behavior of effective leaders. 4. Skillful communication includes providing constructive feedback.

8. Effective nurse leaders: Select all that apply. 1. Are also good followers 2. Effectively work together with shared goals 3. Never act on their ideas 4. Have master's degrees

8. Answer: 1, 2 Rationales: 1. Every leader is at times a follower. 2. Effective leaders work with their teams on shared goals. 3. Although they are not always able to act on their ideas, effective leaders do so as much as they can if the ideas are constructive. 4. Earning a master's degree would be helpful but is not required for effective leadership.

5. An emotionally intelligent nurse leader: 1. Seeks the emotional support of others 2. Cannot juggle multiple demands 3. Works alone without help 4. Welcomes constructive criticism

5. Answer: 4 Rationales: 1. Emotionally intelligent leaders understand and manage their own emotions. 2. Emotionally intelligent leaders are able to juggle multiple demands. 3. Emotionally intelligent leaders actively work with members of their team rather than alone. 4. Emotionally intelligent leaders welcome criticism that is constructive and acknowledges other team members' perspectives.

9. Effective followers are those who are: 1. Passive employees 2. Skilled and self-directed employees 3. Less valuable employees 4. Employees who are never supportive of new ideas

9. Answer: 2 Rationales: 1. Effective followers are actively involved in the work of the team. 2. The most effective followers are not only competent but self-directed. 3. Effective followers are very valuable employees. 4. Although they cannot be expected to support every new idea, effective followers support constructive new ideas.