Cebu Doctors’ University

College of Nursing
Mandaue City, Cebu

NCM 107 RLE 7:

Directing

Group Members:
Baladya, Joshua Keith
Emnace, Rheanne Kyla
Gragasin, Benz Jim
Noguera, Renezess
Orlanes, Katherine
Ponferrada, Kennie Jhorgie
Villegas, Amiel Gerard

Submitted to:
Mrs. Dolores M. Saldivia
Statement of Purpose:
● Directing is the “act” of giving orders and issuing assignments or instructions”
(Tan, 2016). Nurse-Managers go beyond these actions. They assign work
effectively which fosters accomplishments and sense of belonging among
subordinates, coordinates and collaborates with others which develop team
cohesiveness.
● This module will guide the learner to create a favorable climate in achieving
personal and organization goals through varied strategies and directing skills.

Objectives:
At the end of this module, the level IV student will be able to:

1. discuss the concept of directing and its:

● Definition
● Characteristics
● Functions
● Kinds
● Tools
● Principles
● Elements
- Delegation
- Supervision
- Staff Development
- Coordination
- Organizational Communication
- Leadership
- Motivation
- Evaluation

2. discuss leadership as to:

● Theories
● Styles
● Skills

3. explain the causes of conflict, its types, and resolution.

4. discuss critical thinking process in problem solving and decision making.

5. describe team building and its characteristics.

6. create a team building activity in relation to directing process.

7. critique the leadership theories as applied in nursing and health settings.

8. differentiate manager from leader.

1. discuss the concept of directing and its:

● Definition
- Directing is known as the act of issuing of orders, assignments, and
instructions to accomplish the organization’s goals and objectives. It
involves the process of getting the organization’s work done. It entails
explaining what it is to be done, to and by whom, at what time, how and
why the task should be done.
- Directing is a function of management often performed by top level
management in order to achieve organizational goals. It is a very
important and necessary function of management. Directing consists of
processes and techniques utilized in issuing instructions and making
certain that operations are carried as originally planned.
- Directing involves determining the course, giving order and instruction and
providing dynamic leadership. (Marshall)

● Characteristics
1. Directing Initiates Action
- Performed by managers along with planning, staffing, organizing,
and controlling in order to discharge their duties in the organization.
While other functions prepare a platform for action, directing
initiates action
2. Directing is a Pervasive Action
- Takes place at every level of the organization.
- Wherever there is a superior-subordinate relationship, directing
exists as every manager provides guidance and inspiration to his
subordinates
3. Directing is a Continuous Activity
- As directing continues throughout the life of the organization
irrespective of the changes made in managers or employees
4. Directing has a Descending Order of Hierarchy
- Directing flows from a top level of management to the bottom level
5. Directing has a Human Factor
- Since all employees are different and behave differently in different
situations, it becomes important for the manager to tackle the
situations appropriately in order to grow the organization
6. Directing Integrates Efforts
 - Directing integrates the efforts of all employees and departments
through persuasive leadership and effective communication
towards the accomplishment of goals
7. Directing Motivates Employees
- Manager identifies the potential and abilities of its subordinates and
helps them to give their best.
- Manager also motivates by offering financial and non-financial
incentives to improve performance
8. Directing Provides Stability
- Effective directing develops co-operation and commitment among
the employees and creates a balance among various departments
and groups
9. Directing is about Coping Up with the Changes
- Employees have a tendency to resist any kind of change but
adapting to environmental changes is necessary for the growth of
the organization
- A manager through motivation, proper communication, and
leadership can make the employees understand the nature and
contents of change
- This helps in smooth changes without any friction between
management and employees
10. Directing is about Effective Utilization of Resources
- Defining duties and responsibilities of every subordinate clearly to
avoid wastages, duplication of efforts, and utilizing the resources of
men, machine, materials, and money in the maximum possible way
- Helps in maximizing profits

● Functions
- Develops motivation strategies for members to perform the best of their
ability
- Facilitates change in motivating and guiding members
- Assist in stability and growth of the team, maintaining balance to its
members, help ensure that the members do their work in a harmonious
way
- Maximises the teams full capability aiming to utilize and provide guidance
to reach full potential of the team

● Kinds
- Direct
 : It is a verbal direction
: It is used in a specific nursing care situation that are
medium-to-long goal-directed, task-oriented phrases
: Generally three or more words in length
- Indirect
: It is the use of approved written activities
: Are tasks that have been established in the policies and
procedures at the healthcare institution

● Tools
Techniques of Managers
1. Giving Order and Instructions
- Superior directs his subordinates by giving order and instructions to
them about what work they should do; how they should do it; and
when they should do it.
- Factors for an Effective Order
- General or Specific
- Initiative driven subordinates are given general orders
- Subordinates who prefer close supervision should be
given specific orders
- Written or Oral
- Written provides subordinate with time to understand
and do task with exact responsibility
- Oral order is less expensive and promotes
superior-subordinate relationship
- Formal or Informal
- Formal or command orders may invite more
resistance
- Timing
2. Follow-up Orders and Instructions
- It is not necessary that orders are carried out instantly and fully to
the satisfaction of the superior because there may be three
problems
- Misunderstanding of order
- Inadequate resources to carry out order
- Existence of contradicting order
3. Standardized Practices and Behaviors
- Happens more in the case of routine work performed under set
procedures
 - Works as guidelines for people in the organization
4. Behavioral Pattern
- Patterns:
- Autocratic
- Superior gives instructions and orders in detail so he does
not involve subordinates in decisions making
- There is a gap between decision maker and decision
implementer
- Participative Pattern
- Also known as consultative pattern
- Decision making is a joint process between superior and
staff
- Free Rein Pattern
- Subordinates are given the authority to make decisions
within the broad guidelines of the superior
- Superior does not give orders but the broad guidelines for
why a decision was made

● Principles:
Considerations:
Properly and consistently - to ensure goals and objectives are being followed
through
Progressive development - to improve the health and safety of an organization
Precede with counseling - to provide guidance to subordinates
Disciplining procedures should be initiated with extreme caution - burden
of proof for potentially harmful actions by the organization rests on the
assurance of safety; when there are threats of serious damage or uncertainty,
they must be resolved in favor of prevention

Principle Meaning

Maximum Individual Contribution Management should adopt directing policies that

motivate employees to contribute their maximum
potential to achieve organizational goals.

Harmony of Objectives Full coordination between organizational and

individual objectives.

Unity of Command A subordinate should receive orders and

directions from only one superior.
Appropriate Direction Technique To supervise, lead, communicate and motivate the
employees based on their needs, capabilities,
attitudes and other situational variables.

Managerial Communication Instructions should be clearly conveyed to

employees and it should ensure that they have
understood the same meaning as was intended to
be communicated.

Use of Informal Organization Must have free flow of information between

seniors and the subordinates. The success of
direction depends upon effective exchange of
information to a great extent.

Leadership Managers need good leadership qualities to

influence their subordinates and get them to work
according to their wish.

Follow Through As direction is a continuous process, managers

are required to monitor the extent to which the
policies, procedures, and instructions are followed
by the subordinates.

● Elements:
Delegation
- Simply getting work done through others or as directing the performance
of one or more people to accomplish organizational goals
- Sharing tasks based on policies

Common Delegation Errors

Meaning Causes

Underdelegation Frequently stems from ● Manager’s desire to complete the

the manager’s false
assumption that
delegation may be
interpreted as a lack of
ability on his or her
part to do the job
correctly or completely
whole job due to lack of trust in the
subordinates
● Not enough time to delegate tasks
● Manager underdelegates tasks
due to lack of experience in the
job
● Failure to anticipate the help they
will need
● Some new managers
underdelegate because they find it
 hard to assume the managerial
role

Overdelegation Burderning ● Manager has poor management of

subordinates with too time
many tasks ● Manager is insecure in their ability
to perform a task
● Lazy manager

Improper Delegating at the ● Delegating tasks and

Delegation wrong time, to the responsibilities beyond the
wrong person, or for capability of the person to whom
the wrong reason they are being delegated
● Delegation decision making
without providing adequate
information

Supervision
- Guidance or direction provided by the licensed nurse for the
accomplishment of delegated tasks
- Skills for supervision include conceptual, technical and communication

Staff Development
- Learning is never-ending so staff is responsible for maintaining continuing
education
- Organization has some responsibility in the staff development of their
employees

Coordination
- Nurses coordinate through planning and implementing of client care; also
by being involved in the development of client coordination through its
evolution
- Performance of activities harmoniously

Organizational Communication
- Exchanging of information, ideas, and views within and outside the
organization
- Must be systematic and have continuity
- More complex than interpersonal or group communication because:
a) More communication channels
b) More individuals to communicate with
 c) More information to transmit
d) More technologies
- Dimensional flow of communication
- Failure to communicate = failure to meet organizational goals

Leadership
- Art of motivating a group of people to act toward achieving a common goal
- In businesses, this means directing workers and colleagues with a
strategy to meet the company’s needs

Motivation
- The force within the individual that influences or directs behavior
- Managers cannot directly motivate subordinates because motivation
comes from within a person
- Leader can instead create an environment that maximizes the
development of human potential by focusing on needs and wants of
individual workers and using motivational strategies appropriate for each
person and situation

Evaluation
- Evaluating the delegation experience, both positive and negative, after the
task has been completed
- Determining if the desired outcomes were achieved
 - Asking yourself and the individual you delegated the task to what you
could have done differently to facilitate the completion of delegated tasks
- This shared reflection develops mutual trust and a productive relationship
between the delegators and subordinates

2. discuss leadership as to:

*this part will just be a review from the previous concept*

Theories
● Trait theories - innate personality traits should be present in order to be a leader
● Behavioral Theory - what leaders do and act rather than who is the leader
● Situational or Contingency Theories - based on the idea that the leader's actions
should vary according to the circumstances he or she is facing

Styles
● Autocratic Leadership - involves centralized decision making, with the leader
making decisions and using power to command and control other
● Democratic Leadership - the leader will ask the opinions of the entire team, but
the final decision usually lies with the leader, or there may be mutual decision
making by both team members and the leader, with everyone having an equal
vote
● Laissez - faire Leadership - is passive and permissive, and the leader defers
decision making

Skills
● Aside from being compassionate, patient and caring, as a nurse you also need to
be able to demonstrate leadership skills. These skills are the following
1. Have a global perspective or mindset
2. A working knowledge of technology
3. Expert decision-making skills
4. Prioritizing quality and safety
5. Being Politically astute
6. Collaborative and team building skills
7. Balancing authenticity and performance expectations
8. Coping effectively with change

3. explain the causes of conflict, its types, and resolution.

CAUSES OF CONFLICT
 a. Poor communication
- Can result in difference in communication styles or failure to
communication
b. Difference in personality
- Employees came from different backgrounds and experiences, which play
a role in shaping their personalities.
- Problems arise in the workplace when employees fail to accept the
differences in each other’s personality.
c. Differences in values
- Seen when the generation gap is present. Young workers may possess
different workplace values than older workers.
d. Competition
- Competition that is not properly managed can result in employees
sabotaging or insulting one another, which creates a hostile work
environment
- Unhealthy workplace competition discourages teamwork and promotes
individualism.

TYPES OF CONFLICT
a. Intrapersonal conflict
- Occurs within an individual
- Psychological type involving the individual’s thoughts, values, principle
and emotions
b. Interpersonal conflict
- Conflict between two individual
- This is due to how people are different from one another
- This can lead to intragroup conflict
c. Intergroup conflict
- Misunderstanding arises among different teams within an organization
- This is due to varied sets of goals and interest of these different groups

CONFLICT RESOLUTIONS
a. Forcing
- immediate end of conflict but end of conflict unresolved
b. Accommodation
- one party will set aside his own goals to achieve the goals of others
c. Compromising
- looks for an expedient and mutually acceptable solution which partially
satisfy both parties
 d. Collaboration
- involves an attempt to work with the other person to find a win-win solution
to the problem in hand the one that most satisfy the concerns of both
parties
e. Confrontation
- entails the individual placing his own desires above all others involved in
the conflict
f. Avoidance/Withdrawal
- does not pursue his/her own concerns or those of the opponent. He/she
does not address the conflict, sidesteps, postpones or simply withdraws
g. Critical Thinking
- is a process that entails identifying assumption, considering context and
meaning of issues and gathering data to consider alternatives and
outcomes

4. discuss the critical thinking process in problem solving and decision making. (pgs
2-10)

Critical Thinking
● sometimes referred to as reflective thinking
● is related to evaluation and has a broader scope than decision making and
problem solving
● it is the manner of thinking that moves from the general to specific, ever
narrowing the focus unti, the logic of both the questions and arguments comes to
the same conclusion
● Consists of mental process of analyzing or evaluating information
● Involves reflecting upon the meaning of statements, examining the offered
evidence and reasoning, and forming judgments about facts.

Components of critical thinking

1) a set of information and belief generating and processing skills
2) The habit, based on intellectual commitment, of using those skills to guide
behavior

Characteristics of a Critical Thinker

● Open to new ideas, intuitive, willing to take action, observant, analytical,
communicative, assertive, “outside the box” thinker, risk taker, resourceful,
creative, knowledgeable, insightful, willing to change, outcome directed,
Problem Solving
● a part of decision making
● a systematic process that focuses on analyzing difficult situations
● always includes a decision making step
● Attempts To identify the root problem in situations
● Much time and energy are spent on identifying the real problems

Decision making
● Last step of problem solving process
● it is usually triggered by a problem
● does not focus on eliminating the underlying problem
● a complex, cognitive process often defined as choosing a particular course of
action
● it is the process of choosing one course of action over another

The IDEALS model by Facione (2006)

- a more intemporaty model for effective thinking and problem solving
that involves 6 steps presented in the mnemonic IDEALS
Identify the problem
Define the context
Enumerate choices
Analyze options
List reasons explicitly
Self correct

Critical Elements in Problem Solving and Decision Making

- these elements are considered crucial in problem solving and must
occur if a high quality decision is to be made
-
1. Define objectives clearly
2. Gather Data Carefully
3. Take The Time Necessary
4. Generate Many Alternatives
5. Think logically
6. Choose And Act Decisively

5. describe team building and its characteristics.

Definition
● Team building
 ○ the action or process of causing a group of people to work together
effectively as a team, especially by means of activities and events
designed to increase motivation and promote cooperation

Characteristics of Team Building:

● Has a clear goal
○ Goals for the team must be laid out with clear goals. It must be SMART.
Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic, Time bound.
● Has ground rules
○ clear expectations for time and place of meetings, attendance,
communication, collaboration, and mutual respect among members
● Has mutual trust
○ facilitate open discussion among team members about the need to
respect, trust, and value the competence and contributions of all
caregiving disciplines while acknowledging the responsibility of the team
to identify concerns about inadequate performance
● Can communicate across generations, cultures
○ Teams consist not only of those that are young but may comprise different
age groups with different methods and ways. Team building must be
cohesive, and is able to bind together people of different age groups,
races, genders, etc.
● Effective Communication
○ Effective communication must be established to allow members to
communicate grievances, proposed changes, praise, questions and other
concerns. This allows the members to have more trust and respect for
each other.
● Foster collaboration rather than competition
○ Teams must collaborate rather than compete against each other as this
may foster resentment, inferiority, and a lack of respect
● The team must have high standards that are understood by all
○ Team members must know what is expected of them individually and
collectively. All are responsible for clarifying confusion and giving and
asking for guidance when needed.
● The team must receive external support and encouragement
○ Encouragement and praise work just as well to motivate teams as they do
individuals
● The team must have principled leadership
 ○ Teams usually need someone to lead the effort. Team members must
know the team leader is competent and is working for the good of the
team. Team members will not support the leader motivated primarily by
the need to achieve personal recognition or other benefits not related to
achieving team goals.

6. create a team building activity in relation to the directing process.

The Perfect Square

Tools Needed: Long piece of rope tied together and a blindfold for each person

Rules: Have your coworkers stand in a circle holding a piece of the rope. Then instruct
everyone to put on their blindfold and set the rope on the floor. Have everyone walk a
short distance away from the circle. Next, ask everyone to come back and try to form a
square with the rope without removing their blindfolds. Set a time limit to make it more
competitive. To make it even more difficult, instruct some team members to stay silent.

Objective: Focuses on strong communication and leadership skills. By instructing some

team members to be silent, this game also requires an element of trust across the team,
allowing team members to guide each other in the right direction.

7. critique the leadership theories as applied in nursing and health settings.

Theories
■ The Great Man Theory / Trait Theories (1900-1940)
● Aristotelian philosophy
● People are born to lead whereas other are born to be lead
● Great leaders will arise when the situation demands it
● Assumes that some people have certain characteristics or personality
traits that make them better leaders than others
■ Behavioral Theories (1940 - 1980)
● observable actions and reactions of leaders and followers in a given
situation
● focus on the study of specific behaviors of a leader
● studying what traits the leader had and placed emphasis on what he or
she did - the leader’s style of leadership
■ Situational and Contingency Leadership Theories (1950 - 1980)
● based on the idea that the leader's actions should vary according to the
circumstances he or she is facing
● Contingency approach suggest that no one leadership style is ideal for
every situation
■ Interactional Leadership Theories (1970-Present)
● Leadership behavior is generally determined by the relationship
between the leader’s personality and the specific situation
● It is believed that leaders should dedicate attention to workplace
interactions, as they can influence a host of elements related to business
success, including employee productivity, the length of time employees stay with
a company, and employees' eagerness to produce innovative ideas.
8. differentiate manager from leader.
 References

Marquis, B. L., & Huston, C. J. (2017). Leadership roles and management functions in
nursing: Theory and application (9th ed.). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health.

https://www.wrike.com/blog/team-building-games/

https://programs.online.utica.edu/articles/8-leadership-skills-nurses-need-to-be-successf
ul-ns
https://www.slideshare.net/darlingbrat/directingppt