Why Do Nurse Managers Stay? Building a Model of Engagement

Abstract

The short tenure of nurse managers is an urgent aspect of the leadership vacuum within the nursing shortage. The authors, who sought to build a model of nurse manager engagement in contrast to a retention model, continue to report data from a national qualitative study funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation of 30 outstanding and longtime nurse managers in 6 settings. Part 1 (March 2008) described the dimensions and applications of individual engagement. In this article (part 2), the authors describe the organizational factors that contribute to engagement for nurse managers and the applications for building cultures of engagement.

Nurse Manager Leadership Development

“…Effective leadership preparation and commitment of the nurse manager can lead to enhanced staff nurse retention, reduced turnover costs, and improved quality and financial outcomes for healthcare institutions. 24 This program offered evidence-based leadership content within a contemporary context to nurse managers and provided an opportunity for nurse executives to use a common language to share their values, expectations, and expertise on key organizational objectives influenced by nurse managers. The conceptual framework of the program leveraged the strength of the evidence and system-level support.…”

Measuring First-Line Nurse Manager Work

“…Antecedents to transformation behaviors and outcomes. [3][4][5]10,11,13,18,20,22,25,26 Digital Content 1, http://links.lww.com/JONA/A264) was developed to identify the categories of work and activities and the frequency by which they were performed. Institutional review board (IRB) approval was obtained through Rutgers University in addition to IRB approval at the study sites.…”

“…[12][13][14] Evidence demonstrates that independent of knowledge and skill, there are organizational and work design factors that promote or impede transformational behaviors among leaders. 3,4,11 As the healthcare environment is redesigned to meet the challenges of access, quality, and value, FLNMs are pivotal in helping to change the environments of acute care hospitals. The Institute of Medicine report, The Future of Nursing Leading Change, Advancing Health, identified that ''strong leadership is critical if the vision of a transformed healthcare system is to be realized.…”

“…1 Transformational leadership behaviors impact the work environment and staff, which has a direct relationship to patient and organizational outcomes. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] The development of a TL-style takes time, support, and inspirational motivation. 11 Focusing on the development of TL skills among FLNMs is an imperative for nurse executives in supporting clinical, leadership, and organizational success.…”

A Better Balance: Sharing the Nurse Manager Role

“…Strategies included encouraging use of vacation time and offering vouchers for massages, take-out dinners, and health club memberships. 1 Unfortunately, these strategies do not seem sustainable.…”