change to manage problems, thus
improving the delivery of patient
care services (Druskat & Wolff,
2001).
A great deal of effort goes into
assuring the delivery of patient care
is efficient and effective. However,
ineffective or inefficient practices
can be found in patient care, work
processes, and the unit’s organization
(see Table 3). In some cases,
inefficient practices have been the
norm for so long nurses do not recognize
the inefficiency. Thus, no
action is taken. In other cases, nurses
do not want to tackle inefficiencies
as they are busy providing
patient care; thus they create workarounds.
Rather than addressing
the problem with nursing managers,
these nurses use inefficient
methods that may increase the incidence
of error (Benner et al., 2008).
Clinical leaders are proactive.
Their leadership skills extend
beyond addressing ineffective work
processes. They can envision a better
way to do things. They see the
opportunity to improve the status
quo and they motivate colleagues