Supporting Nurse Manager Use of Transformational Leadership in the Context of Organizational Change: The Nurse Manager Perspective
Introduction. Nurse managers should favour the use of transformational leadership in the context of organizational change. However, nurse managers have expressed the need for support in exercising such leadership. Objective. This study explored how nurse managers could be supported in their use of transformational leadership in the context of organizational change. Methods. A qualitative descriptive study was undertaken from February to May 2017. Semi-structured interviews were completed with nurse managers (n=12). Transcripts were subjected to content analysis and descriptive statistics were computed. Results. Four themes emerged: scope of change, implementation of transformational leadership, facilitating strategies, and time. These themes broke down into 21 sub-themes. The choice of facilitating strategies tended to be influenced by the fact that nurse manager need for support in exercising transformational leadership varied by experience level and vision of leadership. Discussion: How nurse managers are supported in their use of transformational leadership in the context of organizational change is influenced by individual characteristics, as well as by affective and behavioural aspects. Recommendations are made for nurse manager practice and training and for nursing research. Conclusion. These results should help better support nurse managers in exercising transformational leadership and influence their management practices in a positive way.