Building a Power Base in a New Organization - Case Study Example

? LESSON 4 DISCUSSION FORUM Building a Power Base in a New Organization Building a Power Base in a New Organization Starting a career again in an entirely new organization with new colleagues with different personalities, biases and work ethics can be a demanding, laborious and frustrating endeavor. Coming from the outside with fresh ideas and hope for a pleasant and effective working environment, new nurses have the tendency to be modest and stay behind the sidelines while finding the balance of feeling that they are part of the group while gradually developing a career in the new institution. Hence it is important realize that the first few months of transfer is critical in building a power base in order to accomplish the leadership role and changes that you want to achieve and realize your personal and professional goals (Houston, 2008). According to Paula Brynion (2004), power is one’s capability to influence others. The nursing industry must recognize that constructing a power base is a vital force in controlling one’s vocation and place in an organization. Brynion furthers states that the capacity to identify and connect the enthusiasm and prospect of nursing is imperative in building a positive perception of and using power. Hence, a list of strategies in building a power base is listed and expounded in this paper. 1. Be professional and act as a team player. Since you are a new nameless subject in the group, you must present yourself in a package that would leave a positive mark to your coworkers. Uphold an aura of professionalism and competence by going to work early and well-groomed. Be conscious of how you talk with others and try to be tactful and confident especially when dealing with head nurses and doctors. Maintaining composure even under times of stress will leave them a good impression of you. It is also necessary to work harder, volunteer for extra shifts and readily help colleagues to contribute more to the community. Involve yourself in meetings, extra assignments and accept these tasks with an open mind. Eventually, perseverance and professionalism can take you greater heights and everyone will associate your name with respect and credibility (Daly, Speedy and Jackson, 2003). 2. Learn the rules. Building a power base command for socialization and determination of the key people of power in the company. Understanding the “unspoken rules” in an organization is critical in blending in with your new surroundings, will provide you with a broader vision of the organization and get a better sense of how it functions. It is essential for any newcomer to recognize the culture and values of the institution in order to have an awareness of the do’s and don’ts in the workplace. The information achieved through these details can benefit you by gaining entrance into important networks in the system (Carter, 2007). 3. Increase expert power. Given that you have been a registered nurse for five years from a previous hospital, it is expected that proper training and experience are already at hand. However, continuous gaining of knowledge, expertise and skills are still needed to increase expert power. New challenges arise every day that can help increase not only your skill level but your maturity as well. Moreover, taking up specialty certifications and advanced studies upsurges your power base because of new knowledge gained. Open positions for higher ranks may specifically require certain capabilities so you need to seize those opportunities by gaining expert power as much as you can (Yoder-Wise, 2011). 4. Search for mentors and form alliances with other professionals. Associate yourself with positive role models that imitate nursing excellence and behave accordingly. Coworkers who show commitment to extensive learning and love for their jobs are more likely to emulate optimistic approach in making a difference in the nursing industry. These kinds of people can be of great influence to you since mentoring is an active process that can help build a power base. According to the College of Mass Communications and Informational Studies (CMCIS) Alumni Society, mentoring is defined as “a developmental partnership through which one person shares knowledge, skills, information and perspective to foster the personal and professional growth of someone else” (CMCIS, 2008). Having a mentor in a new environment lets you have insider information about the institution, its norms and culture. Colleagues will also accept you as one of their own without any hint of reluctance. It is also advisable to join specialty clinical associations and national or international nursing organizations. These coalitions give you an advantage by learning the power that you can attain through networking and shared interests. They will also help you keep updated with significant issues in the nursing industry, thus establishing a lasting relationship and career growth opportunities. 5. Self-awareness. Nurse professionals must always carefully observe how they make decisions and how they distinguish and resolve conflicts. Constant examination of your values system is crucial in avoiding job dissatisfaction whenever a decision created is in conflict with your own personal beliefs. (Marquis and Huston, 2009). 6. Development of leadership qualities. The demand of leadership skills in the nursing industry is proving to be a complex uphill climb for most professionals. Being great in providing care for patients is only a piece of the qualities that are required for nurse supervisors and managers. Today, effective skills in other areas such as marketing, budgeting and finance are also expected in leadership positions. Furthermore, they also need to be effective communicators, team builders and possess a broad vision of the future of the company and its employees. Even the preemptive strategy planning against security threats of terrorism and global conflicts must be anticipated by frontrunners (Marquis and Huston, 2009). Aside from these aspects, nurse leaders are also expected to “address high staff turnover rates, a growing trend toward unionization, and the need to implement staffing ratios in an era of nursing shortages.” (Houston, 2009). 7. Campaign for empowerment. Creating a vision for a higher position in a new workplace does not end with developing a power base for your own purpose but for the benefit of the organization as well. Leaders must maintain a sense of connection to his or her colleagues and followers and continually support each other’s career development. As a leader, you must learn to empower the people around you and they, in turn, will empower you as their leader. Encourage coworkers to share their knowledge and experiences with each other, adapt to organization’s endeavors wholeheartedly and learn to keep a professional working environment for everyone (Houston, 2008). Developing a higher career plan in a very different environment can be a tedious task even for a nurse professional with years of on-hand knowledge and expertise. However, having the confidence and assertiveness to create approaches in developing a power base will give an utmost advantage even against the veteran and aloof nurses in the institution. Learn to observe, blend, leave a good impression to others, and prove one’s personal worth. All the skills and strategies listed above will allow one to become a highly skilled leader that will eventually open doors in accomplishing goals. References Bessie L. Marquis, Carol Jorgensen Huston. (2008). Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: theory and application. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Braynion, Paula. (2004.) Power and leadership. Journal of Health Organization and Management, Vol. 18 Iss: 6, pp.447 – 463 Carter, Jessica F. (2007). Double Outsiders: How Women of Color Succeed in Corporate America. Jist Publishing. CMCIS Alumni Society Mentor Program (2008). Definition of mentoring. Retrieved from http:// cmcismentorprogram.wordpress.com/mentoringprogram-manual/definition-of- mentoring/. Huston, C. (2008). Eleven strategies for building a personal power base. Nursing Management, 39 (4), 58-61. Houston, Carol. (2009). Building your personal power base as a student and new nurse. NSNA Imprint. Retrieved from http://www.nsna.org. John Daly, Sandra Speedy, Debra Jackson. (2003). Nursing Leadership. Elsevier Australia. Marquis, B. and Huston, C. (2009). Leadership roles and management functions: Theory and application (6th ed). Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins. Yoder-Wise, Patricia. (2011). Leading and managing in nursing. C.V. Mosby Co. Read More