AIM: To generate a unique and contemporary leadership theory reflecting the essence of nursing within a complex health care environment. BACKGROUND: As health care faces unprecedented change and increasing complexity, a nursing leadership theory embedded within complexity science is vital for teams to be innovative, nimble and focused on human-centred care. METHODS: Constructivist grounded theory framed exploration of human issues embedded in nursing leadership. The constructivist approach sought thematic and theoretical sensitivity through the rich co-creative experience of participants, researchers, literature and data. Focus groups were convened over 18 months with 39 nurse leaders from bedside to boardroom. RESULTS: Constant comparative methods resulted in 15 attributes. Advanced coding positioned the 15 attributes into constructs: Awakener, Connector and Upholder. Definitions emerged through the constructivist process organically connecting attributes and constructs to the potential outcomes identified in the theory as cultures of excellence, trust and caring. CONCLUSIONS: The final constructivist process revealed a nursing-specific theory: human-centred leadership in health care uniquely suited to assist leaders in addressing structure, process and outcomes. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Efforts by nurse leaders to test the theory with metrics related to nursing excellence will result in validation of the theory and validation of the proposed sustained culture change.
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Leclerc et al. (2020) studied this question.
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