Huston_Leadership Roles and Management Functions in Nursing,

Unit V Roles and Functions in Staffing

398

Staff Development Because a LO recognizes that learning is never ending, the organization has at least some responsibility for developing workers through staff development programs. A LO, however, cannot just meet licensure requirements for education and training; it must also encourage individual growth and support staff development activities both financially and philosophically. However, this fostering of growth and learning in employees is driven by more than altru istic motives. The staff’s knowledge level and capabilities often determine the number of staff required to meet organizational goals. Therefore, having better trained and more competent staff can save the organization money by increasing productivity and positive outcomes. An organization’s ability to learn, and to translate that learning into action rapidly, then can create a competitive business advantage. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, orga nizations and leaders had to pause, wait, adapt, innovate, and reimagine the way to achieve their missions (Spas, 2021). These activities are what enabled successful LOs to learn and move ahead into an unknown future. Spas (2021) notes that the changes that occurred during the pandemic resulted in disruptions that were so significant that the former context is gone. Sustainability became possible only through forward motion and new learning. Training Versus Education Education and training are two components of staff development in LOs. Managers histori cally had a greater responsibility for seeing that staff were properly trained than they did for meeting educational needs. A more equal balance has been achieved in the past few decades. Training is an organized method of ensuring that people have knowledge and skills for a specific purpose (in this case, to perform the duties of the job). To assist employees with their training needs, the manager must first determine what those needs are. This also includes future planning needs related to product line development and implementation of best practice exem plars. This is a leadership role. When such deficiencies are not corrected early or there is a lack of leadership support, a climate of nonacceptance can develop that prevents assimilation of the new employee. Education is more formal and broader in scope than training. Whereas training has an imme diate application, education is designed to develop individuals in a broader sense. Recognizing educational needs and encouraging educational pursuits are roles and responsibilities of the leader. Managers may appropriately be requested to teach classes; however, unless they have specific expertise, they would not normally be responsible for an employee’s formal education. Responsibilities of the Education Department Staff development is a broad area of responsibility and is borne by many people in the orga nization. Its official functions are often housed, however, within an education department. Because most education departments have staff or advisory authority rather than line authority on the organizational chart, education personnel generally have little or no formal authority over those they teach. Likewise, the unit manager may have little authority over personnel in the education department. Because of the ambiguity of overlapping roles and difficulties inherent in line and staff positions, it is important that those responsible for educating and training be identified and given the authority to carry out the programs. With the COVID-19 pandemic upending workplace norms the world over, even learning and development teams in LOs faced unprecedented challenges in cultivating true employee engagement and reducing remote burnout (Nichols, 2021).