Explaining Nurses' Experiences concerning Characteristics of an Effective Leadership: A Qualitative Study

Nursing managers and leaders have a vital role in organizing and providing nursing care in medical centers. Effective managers and leaders should guide employees appropriately towards the goals of the organization, increasing the quality of care and increasing the level of society’s health. This study was designed with the aim of explaining nurses' experiences of effective leadership characteristics.

In this qualitative study which was conducted using the content analysis, purposeful sampling approach was applied on 16 participants (12 nurses, 2 head nurses, and 2 supervisors). Data collection was done using in-depth and semi-structured face-to-face interviews. After collecting the data, all the interviews were transcribed. At first, the meaning similarities were reviewed and sub-categories were identified. Then, related sub-categories were grouped in one category.

The age range of participants in this study was 25-50 years. By analyzing the data, 8 sub-categories and 4 main categories were emerged. The emerged categories were: "Professional characteristics" with two sub-categories (creating motivation and providing support); "Communication characteristics" with two sub-categories (ability to establish proper interpersonal communication and prompting in the correct manner); "Scientific characteristics" with two sub-categories (being a scientifically and practically role model and situation management) and "Ethical characteristics" with two sub-categories (responsibility and observe justice and not make discrimination among personnel).

The findings of this study can be used in the management improvement program and the professional planning of head nurses, as a guide for designating and selecting effective managers. The designation of effective supervisors and head nurses can bring freshness and vitality among the health care staff and consequently improve the quality of patient care.