Kouzes and Posner Leadership Model
Kouzes and Posner (1995) developed a model of leadership based on five
fundamental leadership practices that enable leaders to get extraordinary things done in
organizations. They describe effective leadership practices rather than personal attributes
and avoid categorizing leaders as transactional or transformational or both as is suggested
in Bass's (1985) model. According to Kouzes and Posner (1995), effective leaders use
all five leadership practices all the time. Kouzes and Posner define leadership as the "art
of mobilizing others to want to struggle for shared aspirations" (p.30).
Kouzes and Posner's (1995) leadership model was first developed based on the
assumption that ordinary people achieve success doing extraordinary things. The model
evolved from an analysis of surveys and interviews with over 2500 middle and senior
level managers in public and private organizational positions to obtain perceptions of
their personal best when leading others (Kouzes & Posner, 1988). The conceptual
framework that emerged consisted of five leadership practices, each of which is
associated with a specific set of leadership behaviours derived from a panel of experts
(Kouzes & Posner, 1995). The leadership model consists of five leadership practices: (1)
Challenging the process, (2) Inspiring a Shared Vision, (3) Modeling the Way, (4)
Enabling Others to Act, and (5) Encouraging the Heart. These practices and their
application to nursing practice are described in the following paragraphs.
Challenging the Process is a leadership practice reflected by the core behaviours
of seeking out opportunities for change, questioning the status quo, taking risks to
improve the process, demonstrating flexibility, thinking creatively, and taking initiative.
Nurses question and seek clarification for medical orders and timeliness of tests. In
problem solving issues with their patients, they create new and innovative strategies to
address problems. Using evidence-based nursing practice, they may be the first to
identify an opportunity to change and suggest new ways of providing specific nursing
care activities. Nurses take risks while advocating for their patients. This is demonstrated
in the way they negotiate consideration in special circumstances which may be outside
hospital policy, or question formal leaders regarding the adequacy of available resources
for care delivery within their unit. Nurses take the initiative to coordinate the services of
other health disciplines to promote continuity in the patient's treatment plan.