Examining collaborative leadership through interprofessional education: findings from a mixed methods study

Collaborative leadership is essential as recent trends in healthcare service delivery necessitate interprofessional collaboration and care. Interprofessional education (IPE) efforts, therefore, have to prepare students for this type of leadership. The purpose of this study was to understand how students’ perceptions of leadership change as a result of embedding a collaborative leadership model, the Social Change Model (SCM) of leadership, in an IPE course. Data were collected from 30 students participating in an interprofessional course through two interprofessional course reflections, pre/post leadership posters and poster reflections, and a pre/post survey. Results from paired sample t-tests suggested students significantly improved in their perceptions of leadership efficacy. These data also indicated improvements to the three group-level values of the SCM: collaboration, common purpose, and controversy with civility. Findings from the qualitative data suggest that students learned to view leadership as more of a team effort than the actions of a single individual and as more of a process than a role. Findings also revealed the benefits and challenges of using a visual process of poster development as a way of examining students’ changes in perceptions of leadership over the course of the semester. Implications are discussed in relationship to the utility of the SCM in promoting students’ shifts in conceptualizations of leadership that emphasizes collaboration and helps prepare students to engage in these ways within interprofessional teams in their practice.     

Emotionally intelligent nurse leadership: a literature review study

Aim  To establish a synthesis of the literature on the theoretical and empirical basis of emotional intelligence and it's linkage to nurse leadership, focusing on subjective well-being and professional development.
Background  Emotional intelligence has been acknowledged in the literature as supporting nurse leadership that fosters a healthy work environment, creating inspiring relationships based on mutual trust. Nurse leaders who exhibit characteristics of emotional intelligence enhance organizational, staff and patient outcomes.
Method  A literature search was undertaken using international data bases covering the period January 1997 to December 2007. Eighteen articles were included in this integrative review and were thoroughly reviewed by both authors.
Results  Emotional intelligence was associated with positive empowerment processes as well as positive organizational outcomes.
Conclusion  Emotionally intelligent nurse leadership characterized by self-awareness and supervisory skills highlights positive empowerment processes, creating a favourable work climate characterized by resilience, innovation and change.
Implications for nursing management  Emotional intelligence cannot be considered a general panacea, but it may offer new ways of thinking and being for nurse leaders, as it takes the intelligence of feelings more seriously by continually reflecting, evaluating and improving leadership and supervisory skills.     

Developing and testing a new measure of staff nurse clinical leadership: the clinical leadership survey

Patrick A., Laschinger H.K.S., Wong C. & Finegan J. (2011) Journal of Nursing Management 19 , 449–460
Developing and testing a new measure of staff nurse clinical leadership: the clinical leadership survey Aim To test the psychometric properties of a newly developed measure of staff nurse clinical leadership derived from Kouzes and Posner’s model of transformational leadership. Background While nurses have been recognized for their essential role in keeping patients safe, there has been little empirical research that has examined clinical leadership at the staff nurse level. Methods A non-experimental survey design was used to test the psychometric properties of the clinical leadership survey (CLS). Four hundred and eighty registered nurses (RNs) providing direct patient care in Ontario acute care hospitals returned useable questionnaires. Results Confirmatory factor analysis provided preliminary evidence for the construct validity for the new measure of staff nurse clinical leadership. Structural empowerment fully mediated the relationship between nursing leadership and staff nurse clinical leadership. Conclusion The results provide encouraging evidence for the construct validity of the CLS. Implications for nursing management Nursing administrators must create empowering work environments to ensure staff nurses have access to work structures which enable them to enact clinical leadership behaviours while providing direct patient care.     

The influence of nursing leadership on nurse performance: a systematic literature review

brady germain p. & cummings g.g. (2010) Journal of Nursing Management 18, 425–439
The influence of nursing leadership on nurse performance: a systematic literature review Aim The aim was to explore leadership factors that influence nurse performance and particularly, the role that nursing leadership behaviors play in nurses’ perceptions of performance motivation. Background Nurse performance is vital to quality patient care outcomes and nursing leadership behaviors have been linked to nurse performance. Evaluations A review of research articles that examined the factors that nurses perceived as influencing their motivation and performance was conducted. Eight studies were included in the final analysis. Key issues Nurses’ perceptions of factors that affect their motivation and ability to perform were grouped into five categories using content analysis: autonomy, work relationships, resource accessibility, nurse factors, and leadership practices. Nursing leadership behaviors were found to influence both nurses’ motivations directly and indirectly via other factors. Conclusion The review suggests that nurse performance may be improved by addressing nurse autonomy, relationships among nurses, their colleagues and leaders, and resource accessibility. Implications for nursing management Nursing managers and leaders may enhance their nurses’ performance by understanding and addressing the factors that affect their ability and motivation to perform.     

我国男护士职业生涯规划现状调查

目的:对男护士的职业生涯规划现状进行调查分析,为促进男护士职业发展提供参考。方法:采用便利抽样方法,用自行设计的护士职业生涯规划调查问卷对230名男护士进行调查。结果:男护士职业生涯规划平均得分为(131.09±17.49)分,职业生涯规划各维度得分由低到高依次为职业目标、付诸行动、自我调整、学习计划、人际策略、自我认识;不同年龄、工作年限、婚姻状况、行政职务、护理工作意愿、业余学习专业知识时间和收入满意度的男护士,其职业生涯规划得分有统计学差异(P<0.05)。结论:男护士职业生涯规划现状较为理想,他们认可自身专业,期望得到职业发展。     

Habitus,social capital,leadership, and reflection: insights for early career nurse academics

BackgroundIt has been identified that nurses moving into academia have felt similar experiences of transition shock as those of new nurse graduates entering clinical practice. Moving into higher education, the early career nurse academic can find foreign the notion of different leadership approaches that have less direct supervision, leaving them unsure of their role and what is expected of them.AimTo encourage early career nurse academics to undertake regular reflective practice within their habitus, to enhance their understanding of their social capital and facilitate the use of a transformative leadership approach.MethodsThe discussion draws on the theory of Bourdieu as a lens to explore the notion that if one has access to crucial resources, they will understand how to accrue them through their relationships with others.Findings and discussionEarly career nurse academics are required to have understanding into gaining and maintaining social capital and use this as part of their leadership style. To achieve this, reflection and engaging in peer review is required. The development of an academic identity requires the building of networks and receiving mentorship.ConclusionFrom undertaking a process of reflection, early career nurse academics can take an active role in their development from gaining insight into their leadership style utilising a transformative leader approach. A critical understanding of the levels of social capital nurse academics currently hold within an organisation, will enable them to seek opportunities and areas requiring further development for their professional leadership growth.     

Negotiating socialisation: the journey of novice nurse academics into higher education

In this paper we seek to explore the socialisation process experienced by novice nurse academics when they make the transition from the health sector into the education sector. We will do this by identifying the theoretical tensions between individual freedom in the context of organisational needs. The ramifications of these tensions will be highlighted and solutions for raising awareness as to how to manage them are discussed. We conclude that a socialisation process that protects individual freedom and promotes self-development is one that carries the greatest benefit for the novice nurse academic and the educational institution.     

男护士职业发展需要的量性研究

目的 探讨男护士职业发展需要的现状及影响因素.方法 以自行编制的男护士职业发展需要问卷对福州和厦门两地160名男护士进行问卷调查,分析男护士职业发展需要的现状及影响因素.结果 男护士职业发展需要平均得分为(4.01±0.49)分,7种职业需要依次为被接受与肯定需要、医院职业管理需要、培训与学习需要、职业规划与发展需要、管理者的帮助需要、临床专业权威需要和教学科研晋升需要;婚姻状况、工作年限、聘用性质和所在医院性质不同,男护士职业发展需要差异具有统计学意义(P<0.01或P<0.05);多元逐步回归分析表明婚姻状况是男护士职业发展需要的预测因子.结论 男护士具有强烈的职业发展需要,渴望获得职业认同,追求职业发展,医院和护理管理者应采取措施满足其职业发展的需求.     

The making of a nurse manager: the role of experiential learning in leadership development

cathcart e . b ., greenspan m . & quin m . (2010) Journal of Nursing Management 18, 440–447
The making of a nurse manager: the role of experiential learning in leadership development Aim To articulate the experientially acquired knowledge, skill and ethics embedded in nurse manager practice and describe the ways in which they were developed. Background The role of the nurse manager is usually described in lists of competencies, talents and traits which fail to capture the experience-based judgment and practical knowledge in this pivotal organizational role. Method Using Benner’s methodology of practice articulation, 32 nurse managers wrote and interpreted first person narratives of their practice. The experience level of the group ranged from new nurse managers to those with more than 10 years’ role tenure. The seminars were facilitated by a seasoned nurse executive and nurse manager with expertise in narrative interpretation. Results Interpretation of the paradigm case of one nurse manager suggests that complex leadership challenges can be a source of significant experiential learning for the individual and for the group. Conclusions Articulating and reflecting on experiential learning elucidates the skilled knowledge and judgment embedded in nurse manager practice which cannot be accessed in any other way. Implications for nursing management Articulating the practical knowledge which is necessary for effective nurse manager practice can hasten the development of role incumbents.