Chilean Mine Rescue: The Situational Approach and Path-Goal Theory

Chilean Mine Rescue Case Study
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Chilean Mine Rescue Case Study
Nurses face stressful situations during their interaction with patients, and as such, the ability to be flexible and adapt to those situations is very important. This is especially essential when the situations are not anticipated and adapting is the only effective way to respond. The following is an example of how leaders, nurses included, can respond to stressful situations through flexibility and adopting the situational approach and path-goal theory.
The leaders, such as Sougarret, ensured that there was new expertise based on the situational changes (Rashid, Edmond, & Leonard, 2013), thus being able to adapt to the situation at every step of the rescue mission. Further, instead of a schedule planned in advance which could have limited their flexibility, the main leader, Sougarret, arranged for meetings based on the situation on the ground, which made it easier to adapt to changes.
According to DuBin (2016), path-goal theory stipulates that leaders should adopt a leadership style based on the task’s demand and subordinates characteristics. Sougarret applied the achievement-oriented leadership style by reminding his subordinates that their goal was to save lives (Rashid, Edmond, & Leonard, 2013). This kept their morale high and encouraged despite the challenges they encountered. Further, he allowed for collaboration among different specialists, and assigned team leaders based on the respect they gained from others. Such was the case when he was assigning the leader of the drilling operation.
There was effective communication between the stakeholders involved. Political leaders communicated to the country and gave them hope, and Sougarret communicated with geologists, mine workers and anyone who could provide information on the situation at hand. Ho...