Morality traits for an ideal nurse manager: A multicentre cross‐sectional study

Abstract

Aims To investigate which morality traits are more important for nurses to determine positive opinions of their nurse manager. Background People selected morality more often than sociability and competence when forming a positive opinion towards an ideal or a newcomer manager. Methods A multicentre, cross‐sectional study was carried out by administering two questionnaires to 775 nurses on the influence of morality, sociability and competence traits on their impression formation processes. Results Regarding nurses' perceptions about the morality, sociability and competence traits of an ideal nurse manager, the total score for morality was 20.0; for sociability, it was 14.2; and for competence, it was 19.6. For nurses' opinions about a new nurse manager, the total score of the morality section was 16.2, which was very similar to the total score of the competence section (mean = 16.1). Conclusion Morality positively influences nurses' initial impression of an ideal manager, and though it seems to be a necessary condition, it is not sufficient by itself to support the nursing staff's perception towards a new manager. Implications for Nursing Management Our findings could be useful in better understanding the role of morality in social perceptions and behavioural consequences of staff nurses towards their nurse manager.