Understanding Adaptive Leadership in the Context of Nursing Homes

作者：Jing Wang, Ruth A. Anderson, Janelle Santos Perez, Carole A. Estabrooks, Whitney Blair Berta, Holly Jordan Lanham, Yinfei Duan, Alba Iaconi, Anna Beeber · 发表于：Journal of Applied Gerontology · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1177/07334648241243312 · 被引用次数：6 · 研究领域：Geriatric Care and Nursing Homes、Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research

Rapidly growing populations of older adults rely heavily on formal long-term care services such as those provided in nursing homes. Nursing home staff are confronted with complex challenges. We explored how staff ( N = 88), particularly care aides, interpreted challenges and responded to them by taking adaptive leadership roles, and engaging in technical and adaptive work in nursing homes. We conducted analysis of the ethnographic case studies. In long-term care settings, staff face complex challenges in improving resident care due to contextual barriers. These include demanding work conditions and inadequate resources. Additionally, top-down communications, despite being well-intentioned, often lead to misinterpretation and a lack of staff motivation. Nonetheless, we found that certain staff managed to overcome these contextual barriers and effectively execute change initiatives by assuming adaptive leadership roles. Formal leaders have a vital role in empowering staff, including care aides, and facilitating their adaptive leadership behaviors.