WGU D226 – Professional Nursing
Leadership Exam Questions With
Correct Answers (Verified Answers) Plus
Rationales| 2026/2027 Q&A | Instant
Download Pdf.
1. A nurse manager wants to improve staff engagement and
participation in unit decision-making. Which leadership strategy is most
appropriate?
A. Make all decisions independently to maintain consistency
B. Delegate decisions without providing resources or authority
C. Involve staff nurses in shared decision-making and encourage their
input
D. Require staff to follow existing procedures without discussion
Rationale: Shared decision-making promotes staff participation,
autonomy, accountability, and ownership of organizational decisions.
Involving nurses in decisions that affect their practice can improve
engagement, communication, job satisfaction, and patient outcomes.
Simply delegating tasks without authority does not constitute
meaningful shared governance.
2. Which characteristic best distinguishes transformational leadership
from transactional leadership?
,A. Transformational leaders primarily rely on rewards and punishments
B. Transformational leaders focus exclusively on short-term
performance
C. Transformational leaders inspire followers to pursue a shared vision
and achieve meaningful change
D. Transformational leaders avoid establishing organizational
expectations
Rationale: Transformational leadership focuses on inspiring and
motivating followers to exceed routine expectations, embrace a shared
vision, and contribute to organizational improvement. Transactional
leadership relies more heavily on exchanges such as rewards for
performance and corrective actions for failure to meet expectations.
3. A nurse leader observes that two experienced nurses have developed
an ongoing disagreement about patient assignments. Which action
should the leader take first?
A. Immediately reassign both nurses to different units
B. Determine which nurse is responsible for the conflict
C. Meet with the nurses to understand the underlying issues and
perspectives
D. Ask other staff members to determine who is correct
Rationale: Effective conflict management begins with assessment. The
nurse leader should seek to understand the concerns, perceptions, and
underlying causes before selecting an intervention. Prematurely
assigning blame or separating staff may address the immediate
situation without resolving the underlying conflict.
,4. Which action by a nurse leader best demonstrates emotional
intelligence?
A. Avoiding emotionally difficult conversations
B. Making decisions without considering staff responses
C. Recognizing personal emotions and responding appropriately to the
emotions of others
D. Suppressing all emotional reactions during workplace interactions
Rationale: Emotional intelligence includes self-awareness, self-
regulation, social awareness, and relationship management. A nurse
leader with strong emotional intelligence recognizes personal emotional
responses while also accurately interpreting and appropriately
responding to the emotions of others.
5. A nurse manager is implementing a major change in the electronic
health record system. Which approach is most likely to reduce staff
resistance?
A. Implement the system immediately without staff input
B. Tell staff that resistance will result in disciplinary action
C. Communicate the reasons for the change and involve staff in
implementation planning
D. Delay all communication until the new system is fully implemented
Rationale: Resistance to change can be reduced through clear
communication, participation, education, and opportunities for staff to
express concerns. Involving nurses in planning helps create ownership
and allows leaders to identify practical barriers before implementation.
, 6. Which leadership behavior is most consistent with servant
leadership?
A. Maintaining strict control over all decisions
B. Prioritizing organizational authority over staff needs
C. Focusing on serving team members and helping them develop
professionally
D. Using competition to increase employee performance
Rationale: Servant leadership emphasizes the needs, development, well-
being, and empowerment of followers. A servant leader seeks to help
team members succeed while supporting organizational goals. The
approach emphasizes service, listening, stewardship, and development
rather than authority and control.
7. A nurse leader uses the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model to improve
medication administration accuracy. What should occur during the
“Study” phase?
A. Implement the intervention across the entire organization
B. Develop the initial improvement hypothesis
C. Analyze the results and compare them with the expected outcomes
D. Permanently standardize the intervention
Rationale: The Study phase involves examining data collected during the
intervention and comparing actual results with predicted outcomes. The
findings are then used to determine whether the intervention should be
adopted, modified, or abandoned.
Leadership Exam Questions With
Correct Answers (Verified Answers) Plus
Rationales| 2026/2027 Q&A | Instant
Download Pdf.
1. A nurse manager wants to improve staff engagement and
participation in unit decision-making. Which leadership strategy is most
appropriate?
A. Make all decisions independently to maintain consistency
B. Delegate decisions without providing resources or authority
C. Involve staff nurses in shared decision-making and encourage their
input
D. Require staff to follow existing procedures without discussion
Rationale: Shared decision-making promotes staff participation,
autonomy, accountability, and ownership of organizational decisions.
Involving nurses in decisions that affect their practice can improve
engagement, communication, job satisfaction, and patient outcomes.
Simply delegating tasks without authority does not constitute
meaningful shared governance.
2. Which characteristic best distinguishes transformational leadership
from transactional leadership?
,A. Transformational leaders primarily rely on rewards and punishments
B. Transformational leaders focus exclusively on short-term
performance
C. Transformational leaders inspire followers to pursue a shared vision
and achieve meaningful change
D. Transformational leaders avoid establishing organizational
expectations
Rationale: Transformational leadership focuses on inspiring and
motivating followers to exceed routine expectations, embrace a shared
vision, and contribute to organizational improvement. Transactional
leadership relies more heavily on exchanges such as rewards for
performance and corrective actions for failure to meet expectations.
3. A nurse leader observes that two experienced nurses have developed
an ongoing disagreement about patient assignments. Which action
should the leader take first?
A. Immediately reassign both nurses to different units
B. Determine which nurse is responsible for the conflict
C. Meet with the nurses to understand the underlying issues and
perspectives
D. Ask other staff members to determine who is correct
Rationale: Effective conflict management begins with assessment. The
nurse leader should seek to understand the concerns, perceptions, and
underlying causes before selecting an intervention. Prematurely
assigning blame or separating staff may address the immediate
situation without resolving the underlying conflict.
,4. Which action by a nurse leader best demonstrates emotional
intelligence?
A. Avoiding emotionally difficult conversations
B. Making decisions without considering staff responses
C. Recognizing personal emotions and responding appropriately to the
emotions of others
D. Suppressing all emotional reactions during workplace interactions
Rationale: Emotional intelligence includes self-awareness, self-
regulation, social awareness, and relationship management. A nurse
leader with strong emotional intelligence recognizes personal emotional
responses while also accurately interpreting and appropriately
responding to the emotions of others.
5. A nurse manager is implementing a major change in the electronic
health record system. Which approach is most likely to reduce staff
resistance?
A. Implement the system immediately without staff input
B. Tell staff that resistance will result in disciplinary action
C. Communicate the reasons for the change and involve staff in
implementation planning
D. Delay all communication until the new system is fully implemented
Rationale: Resistance to change can be reduced through clear
communication, participation, education, and opportunities for staff to
express concerns. Involving nurses in planning helps create ownership
and allows leaders to identify practical barriers before implementation.
, 6. Which leadership behavior is most consistent with servant
leadership?
A. Maintaining strict control over all decisions
B. Prioritizing organizational authority over staff needs
C. Focusing on serving team members and helping them develop
professionally
D. Using competition to increase employee performance
Rationale: Servant leadership emphasizes the needs, development, well-
being, and empowerment of followers. A servant leader seeks to help
team members succeed while supporting organizational goals. The
approach emphasizes service, listening, stewardship, and development
rather than authority and control.
7. A nurse leader uses the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model to improve
medication administration accuracy. What should occur during the
“Study” phase?
A. Implement the intervention across the entire organization
B. Develop the initial improvement hypothesis
C. Analyze the results and compare them with the expected outcomes
D. Permanently standardize the intervention
Rationale: The Study phase involves examining data collected during the
intervention and comparing actual results with predicted outcomes. The
findings are then used to determine whether the intervention should be
adopted, modified, or abandoned.
