Other Titles
PechaKucha Presentation
Abstract
Background: Leadership is emphasized in many healthcare disciplines, especially nursing1. However, learning about leadership typically occurs in the context of readings and discussions, which do not provide students with the visceral experiences needed to critically reflect on what is required of them to lead effectively2. Furthermore, there is limited discussion about followership, or what is required of a good follower to collaborate effectively within a healthcare team3.
Purpose: The purpose of the Tangology Simulation is to provide students with an experiential activity that emulates the roles of leadership and followership in a non-threatening environment. The ultimate goal is to facilitate students' critical reflection on their own roles as leaders and followers within a healthcare team.
Implementation: Since 2017, this leadership experiential activity has been part of the Summer Health Professions Education Program, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, at UTHealth Houston. During this activity, 80 pre-health professional students participated in a 10-minute discussion on the roles of leader and follower. After the discussion, students engage in a 45-minute session where they learn the basic steps of Argentine Tango. During this session, they experience the roles of leading and following with different teammates.
Evaluation: At the end of the experiential activity, students complete a written reflection activity, prompted by open-ended questions4. To summarize the data, qualitative descriptive analysis is used to identify themes. Confidence and trust are the main themes that consistently emerge. Through the Tangology Simulation, students discover that confidence in oneself is crucial when leading. Trust in the leader emerges as an essential characteristic for effective followership. Students also noted that the simulation helped them become more aware of other skills, such as communication, needed to become effective leaders and followers in a healthcare team.
Implications: The Tangology Simulation provides an experiential learning activity that allows students to critically reflect on their strengths and weaknesses as future leaders and followers5. This type of experiential learning activity offers students an opportunity for self-reflection on their future roles as leaders and followers in multidisciplinary healthcare teams.
Notes
References:
1. Honan, D. M., Rohatinsky, N., & Lasiuk, G. (2023). How do Registered Nurses Understand Followership?. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 55(4), 437-446.
2. Chaleff, I. (2009). The courageous follower: Standing up to and for our leaders. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
3. Gallegos, P., Riaz, M. S., & Peeters, M. (2024). Leadership and Followership in Health Professions: A Systematic Review. INNOVATIONS in pharmacy, 15(2), 2-2.
4. Bjerkvik, L. K., & Hilli, Y. (2019). Reflective writing in undergraduate clinical nursing education: A literature review. Nurse Education in Practice, 35, 32-41.
5. Phan, N. (2024). Bridging the Gap: A Framework for Experiential Learning in Higher Education. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 23294906241292009.
Sigma Membership
Zeta Pi
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Qualitative Research
Keywords:
Simulation, Workforce, Interprofessional Initiatives, Leadership, Followship
Recommended Citation
Gallagher, Martina; Sheen, Linda; Acorda, Darlene; and Galle, Kelli, "Tangology Simulation: An Experiential Simulation to Understand Leadership and Followership" (2025). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 254.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2025/presentations_2025/254
Conference Name
36th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Tangology Simulation: An Experiential Simulation to Understand Leadership and Followership
Seattle, Washington, USA
Background: Leadership is emphasized in many healthcare disciplines, especially nursing1. However, learning about leadership typically occurs in the context of readings and discussions, which do not provide students with the visceral experiences needed to critically reflect on what is required of them to lead effectively2. Furthermore, there is limited discussion about followership, or what is required of a good follower to collaborate effectively within a healthcare team3.
Purpose: The purpose of the Tangology Simulation is to provide students with an experiential activity that emulates the roles of leadership and followership in a non-threatening environment. The ultimate goal is to facilitate students' critical reflection on their own roles as leaders and followers within a healthcare team.
Implementation: Since 2017, this leadership experiential activity has been part of the Summer Health Professions Education Program, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, at UTHealth Houston. During this activity, 80 pre-health professional students participated in a 10-minute discussion on the roles of leader and follower. After the discussion, students engage in a 45-minute session where they learn the basic steps of Argentine Tango. During this session, they experience the roles of leading and following with different teammates.
Evaluation: At the end of the experiential activity, students complete a written reflection activity, prompted by open-ended questions4. To summarize the data, qualitative descriptive analysis is used to identify themes. Confidence and trust are the main themes that consistently emerge. Through the Tangology Simulation, students discover that confidence in oneself is crucial when leading. Trust in the leader emerges as an essential characteristic for effective followership. Students also noted that the simulation helped them become more aware of other skills, such as communication, needed to become effective leaders and followers in a healthcare team.
Implications: The Tangology Simulation provides an experiential learning activity that allows students to critically reflect on their strengths and weaknesses as future leaders and followers5. This type of experiential learning activity offers students an opportunity for self-reflection on their future roles as leaders and followers in multidisciplinary healthcare teams.
Description
Tangology Simulation provides students with an experiential activity that emulates the roles of leadership and followership in a non-threatening environment. This experiential learning activity offers students an opportunity for self-reflection on their future roles as leaders and followers in multidisciplinary healthcare teams.