Tensions within management roles in healthcare organisations
Aim: This article reports the results of a study that gives an insight into ward leaders’ perspectives of their leadership role and explores how they deliver leadership at ward level within organisational constraints and processes. Previous studies have been evaluations of clinical leadership in gen...
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| Format: | Article |
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RCN Publishing
2017
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/42650/ |
| _version_ | 1848796537320112128 |
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| author | Scott, Anne Timmons, Stephen |
| author_facet | Scott, Anne Timmons, Stephen |
| author_sort | Scott, Anne |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Aim: This article reports the results of a study that gives an insight into ward leaders’ perspectives of their leadership role and explores how they deliver leadership at ward level within organisational constraints and processes. Previous studies have been evaluations of clinical leadership in general, or literature reviews of the ward leader role. The aim of this study was to examine the leadership role of ward sisters and to understand how they lead improvements in quality of care on their wards.
Methods: A qualitative methodology was used, incorporating 19 in-depth interviews with ward leaders and modern matrons.
Results: Three main themes were identified: empty conformity, authority and autonomy, and visibility and leading by example. Participants aimed to be role models in leading and maintaining standards of care for patients, but this was sometimes constrained by organisational processes, lack of authority and autonomy, and lack of support and preparation.
Conclusion Perceived differences between nursing and health service management mean that ward leaders’ efforts to lead improvements in quality care are often undermined. Ward leaders must strike a balance between leading high-quality nursing care, in the context of organisational and political performance requirements, and the demands of administrative work, while often lacking autonomy and authority. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:49:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-42650 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:49:33Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | RCN Publishing |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-426502020-05-04T18:39:55Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/42650/ Tensions within management roles in healthcare organisations Scott, Anne Timmons, Stephen Aim: This article reports the results of a study that gives an insight into ward leaders’ perspectives of their leadership role and explores how they deliver leadership at ward level within organisational constraints and processes. Previous studies have been evaluations of clinical leadership in general, or literature reviews of the ward leader role. The aim of this study was to examine the leadership role of ward sisters and to understand how they lead improvements in quality of care on their wards. Methods: A qualitative methodology was used, incorporating 19 in-depth interviews with ward leaders and modern matrons. Results: Three main themes were identified: empty conformity, authority and autonomy, and visibility and leading by example. Participants aimed to be role models in leading and maintaining standards of care for patients, but this was sometimes constrained by organisational processes, lack of authority and autonomy, and lack of support and preparation. Conclusion Perceived differences between nursing and health service management mean that ward leaders’ efforts to lead improvements in quality care are often undermined. Ward leaders must strike a balance between leading high-quality nursing care, in the context of organisational and political performance requirements, and the demands of administrative work, while often lacking autonomy and authority. RCN Publishing 2017-03-30 Article PeerReviewed Scott, Anne and Timmons, Stephen (2017) Tensions within management roles in healthcare organisations. Nursing Management, 24 (1). pp. 31-37. ISSN 2047-8976 hospital management leadership nursing nursing management organisational behaviour role conflict ward sister http://journals.rcni.com/doi/10.7748/nm.2017.e1569 doi:10.7748/nm.2017.e1569 doi:10.7748/nm.2017.e1569 |
| spellingShingle | hospital management leadership nursing nursing management organisational behaviour role conflict ward sister Scott, Anne Timmons, Stephen Tensions within management roles in healthcare organisations |
| title | Tensions within management roles in healthcare organisations |
| title_full | Tensions within management roles in healthcare organisations |
| title_fullStr | Tensions within management roles in healthcare organisations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tensions within management roles in healthcare organisations |
| title_short | Tensions within management roles in healthcare organisations |
| title_sort | tensions within management roles in healthcare organisations |
| topic | hospital management leadership nursing nursing management organisational behaviour role conflict ward sister |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/42650/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/42650/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/42650/ |