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INITIAL QUESTION: Discussion Questions 1. Compare and contrast the role of a leader, manager, boss, and follower. Include at least 3 attributes of each role. 2. Apply the concepts of motivation, alignment, and value as they relate to the innovation in this scenario. How are these concepts being demonstrated? 3. What steps can you follow to promote a sustainable culture of innovation? Be specific and use scholarly resources to support your answer. RUBRIC: 20 pts Exceptional One post written in response to fellow learners’ post and is between 100-150 words. Response is substantive insightful and contain at least one reference. STUDENT POST In the healthcare sector, there are many similarities and differences in the roles of a leader, manager, boss, and follower. Sometimes their roles overlap and are contingent upon each other to be effective. For instance, a nurse manager needs to have thorough understanding of clinical operations to include staffing, scheduling, recruitment, retention, regulatory issues, compliance, work performance, patient experience, the culture, and compliance (Doucette, 2017). A nurse manager often has attributes to include advocacy, mentorship, and participation. In this role, an individual cannot be afraid to use their position in order to ensure a safe environment for staff and patients alike. A nurse manager will need to be able to advocate for patient safety and access to quality healthcare per policy (Doucette, 2017). A success nurse manager will not micromanage, but rather empower staff through mentorship to encourage continual growth and discover mindfulness with innovative solutions. Furthermore, a nurse manager must appropriately balance administrative duties while also maintain superior clinical skills to be able to participate in bedside care when necessary (Doucette, 2017).       In order to be a memorable, effective nurse manager, the individual must also be a leader. These roles can be contrasted because a nurse manager does not have to be a leader, but that would result in a less effective manager. A leader does not have to be a manager and can be an encompassing trait by a variety of healthcare personnel, to include advanced practice nurses, registered nurses, and ancillary staff, to name a few. Specifically, a nurse leader is a team member that strives to create a more solidified team with a heightened focus on problem solving and building stronger relationships (Nene et al., 2020). Attributes of a nurse leader include performing well under pressure, being able to respond critically to daily challenges, and finding solutions to issues related to bedside care.       Most nurses that are not executives have a boss, but not every boss has managerial skills or has the characteristics to be an inspiring leader. The role of a boss is often interpreted as authoritative with declarations and commands on how things will be done (Azad et al., 2017). Contrarily, a leader, and even a manager who encompasses leadership qualities, will gather input from co-workers and present a compelling vision, rather than give orders. Bosses have attributes that are outcome driven, goal oriented, and have a timeline in which things should be accomplished.       Followership as a nurse has significant importance and relevance to an overall organization. A follower has behaviors that are directly linked to a leader-member exchange and promote communication, trust, and higher job satisfaction (Azad et al., 2017). Attributes of an individual in a healthy followership include positivity, sense of trust in the plan, and individuality to support innovation. In order to be a successful leader, there are situations in which a leader becomes a follower and vice versa. The relationship between a follower and leader, boss, or manager is not linear.       In the health clinic in Cortland, New York, an electronic medical record system has been implemented to help improve staff efficiency. This creates a culture of innovation to improve the quality of patient care. Having an electronic medical record system instead of paper charting will create a motivation among staff by giving a new sense of purpose. The purpose will be to learn new technology to enhance patient data organization and make records more accessible, increasing productivity. New technology in the clinic may present a learning curve to some staff members. The staff must remain in alignment, meaning everyone from entry-level to executives share the commonality of learning the electronic record system for the benefit of the entire team. As a staff member in the clinic, everyone as an individual has the duty to uphold the value of the clinic by knowing the worth of having a new electronic record system and the extent of which it will help the clinic.       There are several steps that are necessary in order to promote a sustainable culture of innovation. Those in leadership roles must empower employees to make decisions and foster an environment where followers feel like their voice is heard. Open communication and transparency incentivizes team members to contribute ideas (Weintraub, 2019). Another step to promote a sustainable culture of innovation is to prevent burn out by promoting a healthy work-life balance. With a healthy work-life balance, staff will come to work feeling refreshed and ready to think critically and creatively. Furthermore, the advanced nurse leader should ensure all staff are up to date with skill sets. Training should be made a priority, with accessibility and flexibility to accommodate everyone. Lastly, there should be monthly team workshops outside of the clinic where team members can connect, build on relationship strengthening with a free flow of ideas without judgement. At the clinic, the advance nurse leader must be a leader with managerial attributes to support innovation among staff and deliverance of high-quality care. References Azad, N., Anderson, H. G., Jr, Brooks, A., Garza, O., O'Neil, C., Stutz, M. M., & Sobotka, J. L. (2017). Leadership and management are one and the same. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 81(6), 102.  https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe816102 (Links to an external site.) Doucette, J. (2017). Transforming the role of the nurse manager. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 47(10).  www.doi.org/10.1097/NNA.0000000000000527 (Links to an external site.) Nene, S. E., Ally, H., & Nkosi, E. (2020). Nurse managers experiences of their leadership roles   in a specific mining primary healthcare service in the West Rand. Curationis, 43(1), 1-8.  https://doi.org/10.4102/curationis.v43i1.2129 (Links to an external site.) Weintraub, P., & McKee, M. (2019). Leadership for innovation in healthcare: An exploration. International journal of health policy and management, 8(3), 138–144.  https://doi.org/10.15171/ijhpm.2018.122 (Links to an external site.)  Reply