Healthcare Managers/Executives/Administrators
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to describe the transformational leadership of head nurses in five Finnish university hospitals as evaluated by the head nurses and nurses.
METHODOLOGY Data was collected from the head nurses (N = 481) and their constituent nurses (N = 2,405) in five Finnish university hospitals. Head nurses (N = 13) from three university hospitals participated in focus group interviews. Respondents completed the Leadership Practices Inventory (Self and Observer) in Finish. The word used for "leader" was "human resource manager."
KEY FINDINGS According to assessments from both the head nurses and ward nurses the frequency rank order of the leadership practices used by the head nurses was Enabling Others to Act, followed by Modeling the Way, Encouraging the Heart, Inspiring a Shared Vision, and Challenging the Process. The frequency scores from the head nurses (Self) were all high higher than those from the nurses in general (Observers). Some differences were found in leadership assessments between both hospitals and wards within the hospitals in the ward nurses group.
The author concludes: "The transformational leadership of the head nurses of the Finnish university hospitals' emerged by Enabling Others to Act. The head nurses used Modelling the Way in their leadership, which means reasoned and systematic leadership. Encouraging the Heart meant supporting, encouraging and realistically rewarding the nurses. Inspiring Shared Vision meant co-operation and the use of experts in planning the goals and evaluating their achievement. The head nurses' moderation in making reformation and thus securing the fundamental operations manifested Challenging the Process."
*NOTE: The above information comes from the English-language version of the abstract, and the complete dissertation is available only in Finnish.