Studying the clinical encounter with the Adaptive Leadership framework

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Leadership
• Complexity Science in Health
• Nursing Research

Background:

• Leadership is often viewed hierarchically, yet its role at the point of care is under-researched.
• Existing research has not fully explored leadership in the context of patient-practitioner relationships and family caregiver involvement.
• Front-line clinical staff, including nurses, have unique leadership opportunities at the patient bedside.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and describe the Adaptive Leadership framework for application in nursing research.
• To reframe the roles of nurses and other clinical staff as leaders at the point of care.
• To demonstrate the utility of the Adaptive Leadership framework using nursing research exemplars.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing complexity science theory to define the Adaptive Leadership framework.
• Differentiating between technical and adaptive challenges faced by patients.
• Defining adaptive leadership as the work practitioners do to support patients' adaptive work.

Main Results:

• The Adaptive Leadership framework offers a new lens for understanding leadership behaviors at the point of care.
• The framework was demonstrated through five nursing research exemplars, spanning individual to system levels.
• Application of the framework can guide new research questions and insights into practitioner-patient interactions.

Conclusions:

• The Adaptive Leadership framework has the potential to enhance patient problem-solving and improve health outcomes.
• It provides a powerful approach for developing and testing interventions for complex health issues.
• Harnessing patients' adaptive capabilities within their life contexts is key to improving care.