Abstract

Developments in the historical process have made innovation in management approaches inevitable. To adapt to these cultural and managerial changes, new management approaches have emerged at different times. In addition, nursing has undergone many changes in the fields of education, practice, management, and research from the past to the present. The nursing profession has been able to adapt and develop to the needs of the future with what it has learned from experience. In the literature, it is predicted that management approaches will evolve on the basis of information technologies, high ideals, and individual-oriented theories. The concept of individuality in nursing is related to the well-being of nurses who provide health services as well as the results of nursing care that healthy/patient individuals need with their unique qualities. When nurses’ individual experiences, family situations, personality traits, professional knowledge, and experiences are considered in the managerial approach, their contribution to health services and the effectiveness of health care services may increase. This study aimed to explain the concept of individualized management within the framework of the information obtained considering the literature and to make inferences.

Introduction

Human beings have been separated from all other living beings in the world since their existence because of their different developmental characteristics. Today, each individual is recognized as unique, unique, and unique, and their needs differ in case of health/illness. An individual is defined as a single entity with distinctive characteristics that cannot be divided without losing its unique qualities, and individuality is defined as “the totality of the characteristics that distinguish a person from others” (1, 2). The individual is in constant interaction with his/her environment as a physical, socio-political, cultural, and ecological entity (3). The word “individualize” means “to consider something individually” (2, 4). To develop with existence and to continue some activities, the need to assign tasks to individuals and to maintain practices for a purpose in line with the same goal has also emerged.

The nursing profession is a transcultural service providing profession that aims to provide decent service to individuals with individualized care that is holistic, respectful to lifestyle and cultural values, and one of the most important basic values of health services (5). With holistic care, the nurse focuses on the use of nursing knowledge, theory, expertise, and intuition in the healing process by considering individuals receiving health care as a whole with their emotions, environment, relationships, body, mind, spirit, and social and cultural aspects (6). Directing nurses toward the right goals due to their duties and responsibilities is related to the leadership behaviors of managers (7). This study aimed to explain the concept of individualized management within the framework of the findings obtained considering the literature and to make inferences.

Developments in the historical process have made innovation in management approaches inevitable. To adapt to these changes and developments, new management approaches have emerged at different times (8). Although management approaches in the world seem to be divided into recipes, processes, and tactics, excellent management should be evaluated in contrast to rigid and stereotypical attitudes. In the literature, it is emphasized that the fact that many managers see leadership style as an individual characteristic rather than a strategic choice may cause managerial error and that it is not enough to turn to any style alone (9). As a leader, the manager should think about which style will best respond to the requirements of the individual and the specific situation in which he/she is in, rather than choosing a style that will suit him/her. It is stated that the use of different leadership styles, such as reassuring, democratic, immersive, supportive, supportive, affinity, directive, etc., in accordance with the task to be given will contribute positively to the climate of the organization and increase the performance of the working individuals (9-11).

Teams in healthcare delivery are as unique as the individuals who make them up. It is appropriate for the best managers to understand that each individual has different skills, expertise, opinions, aspirations, and needs. They are also expected to ensure that each individual works in a way that puts them in a position to feel superior, valued, and contribute to the organization. It is considered appropriate to avoid a one-dimensional management approach that will support and advance the team beyond its goals (10, 12). Individualized management means adapting the management style to cater to the personalities, preferences, and passions of individuals within the team. One member of the team may be particularly extroverted, whereas another may be introverted and expect praise in the environment. Some differences, however small, can make the difference between a healthy management relationship and one that misses the mark, becomes toxic, and leads to attrition. Managers are expected to understand the individuals in the team better and provide more flexibility, trust, and autonomy. Once the right team is in place, with clear expectations, realistic goals, and the right tasks to accomplish, it is necessary to empower individuals to bring their talents to bear. Likewise, simultaneous feedback, listening, and, most importantly, facilitating change should be allowed. The manager’s role is to advocate for team members, ensuring that they have the right equipment and skills to complete a task, project, or goal. In the management of healthcare services, giving the right tasks to the right people at the right time in terms of their practices can be considered as a reflection of the art aspect of the nursing profession as well as the science aspect (12-14).

Nursing philosophy expects that care should be provided by considering the valuable, unique, and bio-psycho-psycho-socio-cultural integrity of each individual. Since each person’s reactions to health and disease are different from each other, the support of health care professionals is needed to heal diseases and improve health (3, 15). This approach is important in the care to be given to healthy/sick individuals who need help, as well as in terms of the well-being of nurses who perform health care services. Individualized management involves treating the needs, experiences, personality traits, life events, priorities, education/professional knowledge, skill level, health-disease status, expectations from the profession, and professionalism of the nurse as an individual in the management of health care services. This leadership approach should be realized in line with the philosophy of nursing that accepts the individual as unique-unique-unique. Individualized management should not be understood as a management approach that occurs in line with the demands of individuals, but as a management approach in which the manager considers the individual characteristics of nurse colleagues to improve their performance and quality of care. The manager should determine what kind of support the nurses need at various stages of their professional life and the approach to support them in various issues for their development. In other words, individualized management is the realization of managerial behaviors considering nursing philosophy, values, and ethical elements, considering the individual characteristics of the nurse (16).

Individualized management in nursing is a health care management approach that considers nurses’ personal lifestyles/characteristics and preferences and their participation in the process of making decisions that may affect the working order (7, 12). At the same time, nurses’ leisure time activities, private lives, work-related experiences, physical indicators, behaviors related to coping methods, thoughts, and professional perceptions are considered by the manager. Nurse managers who adopt an individualized management approach are aware that their colleagues are unique individuals and take their experiences, behaviors, thoughts, and perceptions into consideration when making decisions. The traditional nursing culture, with its work-oriented and stereotypical hierarchical structure, is considered an obstacle to individualized management (17). Achieving better health care outcomes is possible with a management approach that supports individuality. Problems such as nurses’ lack of knowledge and practice, working overtime, communication problems between team members, and lack of interdisciplinary cooperation make individualized management more difficult. Çetinkaya Kutun et al. (18) emphasized in their study the need to determine the effectiveness of nursing services management in hospitals; in order to increase the effectiveness of management, they emphasized the necessity of establishing environments where the participation of the team is ensured by determining common goals, ensuring effective communication and cooperation among employees, clearly defining the job descriptions of nurses in decision-making mechanisms and taking part in different management positions, considering the specialization areas and experience periods of nurses (5, 17).

This approach allows nurses to be managed and evaluated in different ways, considering their intellectual strengths and weaknesses at the individual level. It involves adapting organizational goals to coincide with nurses’ individual passions and personalities. This approach will motivate employees without their awareness. Some individuals like to accomplish day-to-day goals, whereas others may prefer long-term initiatives and practices with periodic check-ups. This may seem like a lot of work for managers, but capitalizing on the uniqueness of each of the nurses increases accountability, challenges the status quo, and builds a stronger team spirit. It is important that the manager spends more time with the nurses, keeps abreast of developments, and gives everyone the same opportunity to be heard. Taking detailed notes during interviews to help team members feel that their voice is respected will also help them remember much of the conversation. Similarly, it is important to take follow-up notes to better understand how things are progressing in terms of team members’ performance. It would be appropriate to monitor and congratulate days with personal meaning, such as birthdays, postgraduate graduations, and weddings. Showing interest in the lives of team members can make them feel valued instead of feeling like a cog in the machine. In this approach, getting as much information as possible about the nurses’ families, interests, hobbies, music preferences, and so on can make things go more smoothly, and the feelings and thoughts underlying the behaviors of individuals can be evaluated more accurately. Thus, an individual who is unsuccessful enough in a given task due to his/her circumstances is not evaluated as a failure not because he/she is not suitable for the task, but because of a task that he/she cannot fulfill because the conditions at that moment are not suitable. When suitable conditions are provided, gains can be achieved again. This can help build deep bonds and find common interests in the sometimes monotonous professional work life and the challenging health sector (11, 12, 19). Demonstrating that nurses’ personal and professional development is valued will also serve as a setting for getting to know employees’ aspirations, personalities, strengths, and weaknesses. This will allow for easier adaptation of the management style. Managers sitting in front of their phone or computer, showing no real investment in their team members, can erode trust and camaraderie. When individualized management is not prioritized, inadequate management of health care services, loss of productivity, absenteeism, and sloppy care due to burnout may occur. Prolonged length of stay in healthcare institutions may result in consequences that may negatively affect institutions, staff, and individuals receiving healthcare services. The benefits that can be expected in this context will be a higher sense of pride, empowered nurses, healthier professional relationships, and increased visibility of health care services by individualizing management.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Given the increasing pace of fundamental change in healthcare delivery, the nursing profession is particularly challenged to enact a new, eclectic model of nursing leadership that engages nurses in management. Without this, both managers and individual nurses may risk becoming immobilized in an era of profound change (14, 20). The literature emphasizes that creating an equitable culture and infrastructure to support nurse participation is critical for success (21). Effective nursing leadership also results in the retention of nurses in the organization, job satisfaction, commitment, and a moderate working climate. Satisfaction with the nursing care services provided to them is directly related to the leadership styles of nurse managers (22).

Nurse managers should first clarify ideals and values and nurture hope for the future in a way that will mobilize nurses to action through behaviors in an environment of love that they create due to the nature of humanism. It is predicted that nurses will work happier and more motivated, the results of health care services will improve, and the quality of nursing care will increase with an individualized management approach in accordance with the changing generation (23). In this context, it is thought that it would be appropriate to adopt an individualized management approach that is suitable for the development and changes of nurses in line with the philosophy of the profession, taking into account the impact of nurses’ knowledge and experience, life experiences, and life events on their performance, and using leadership styles such as authoritarian, democratic, and participatory that have been accepted for years (24). It is recommended to conduct scientific studies with a high level of evidence in the field of nursing on the subject.