THE NURSING TEAM’S UNDERSTANDINGS OF LEADERSHIP

Abstract

This study proposed to investigate the nursing team’s experiences on leadership, focussing on situations in which they were leaders, and in others when they were led. It is qualitative research in which Alfred Schutz’s Social Phenomenology was adopted as a theoretical contribution. The participants in the research were 10 members of the nursing team linked to a medium-size general hospital. The discourses were gathered by means of a phenomenological and semi-structured interview, with the guiding questions: What is leading like for you, and what is it like to be led? As the phenomenon was revealed, three units of meaning emerged: The characteristics of the leader, Professional experience, and The leader/led relationship. Professional experience and interpersonal relationships influence leadership, but it falls to the nurse to develop leadership ability, having sufficient knowledge to face these situations and, through them, to manage to establish his or her position within the team.

Keywords

• Leadership
• Hospital administration
• Nursing team