A Chapter Level Association Development and Professional Transformation Model for Leadership Successes

Nurses in Professional Nursing Associations (PNA) are representing the profession in education, practice and administrative positions that speak for the discipline’s role in today’s evolving healthcare environment. The PNA leaders have traditionally taken the responsibility to lead the nursing discipline. The Institute Of Medicine put out a report in 2010 that recommended nurses provide for more leadership opportunities within its membership because they are a large part of the workforce. Nurses should be active in the leadership that impacts the change-taking place in healthcare. Nurses have to become change agents to advocate and represent the public and discipline in today’s healthcare environment.

Today’s affective leaders are seen as change agents that challenge the status quo processes (Kouzes & Posner, 2012). Kouzes and Posner postulate that leadership is learned and that there are useful tools to provide the behavior skills necessary to become good leaders. The transformational leader and leadership framework is the tool of choice for providing this type of training because it lends itself more readily to change processes. Preparing to meet the expanding role and decision-making power within nursing practice must be lead by nursing. The PNA leadership needs are growing and succession planning is paramount.

The PNA leadership has to increase and be sustained to continue to represent the discipline of nursing. Leadership development is encouraged to help future nurse leaders engage in activities within Professional Nursing Associations. The nursing associations and organizations are being asked by the IOM to increase the number of nurses prepared for leadership roles as major stakeholders in the future of healthcare. A leadership project model called Association Development and Professional Transformation (ADAPT) was designed to create leadership expansion opportunity for nurses in a workshop format. This presentation will introduce the components of the ADAPT workshop. The ADAPT workshop includes two categories of participants based on novice and experienced mentor status. The workshop participants start off by taking a Leadership Practice Inventory (LPI) by Kouzes and Posner. This LPI is a 30-item self-assessment tool for leadership behavior characteristics. It is used with the model to help in assessing leadership readiness and behaviors. It gives an evaluation of the leadership attitudes and helps to determine further development strategies. Another large part of the project was a mentoring phase. Participants are paired with a past leader-mentor who can share information, model the way, inspire and encourage the heart for transformational leadership practices and STTI board positions.

 The presentation will outline the components of the ADAPT model workshop and show that the implementation of ADAPT can significantly increase the leadership awareness and attributes of Professional Nursing Association members. It is also hoped that the benefits afforded by a formal method of Leadership preparation availability in the professional nursing association encourages board position considerations. The professional nursing association and its leaders shoulder a responsibility to provide for members personal professional development and growth. The focus on growing future leaders help to ensure that there is succession and vitality for current leadership. The networking and association engagement offers members opportunities to become active and exhibit membership pride. With this model nurses are taking the charge to lead our discipline with leadership preparation to guide the next generation into current and future healthcare environments.

      Attendees will gain a better understanding of transformational leadership practices within professional nursing associations that serve to foster personal satisfaction and growth. Through the ADAPT model the nurse members will become empowered to become leaders in the organization answering the IOM call to expand nursing leadership.