First-line nurse leaders' health-care change management initiatives

To examine nurse leaders' change management projects within British Columbia, Canada.

British Columbia Nursing Leadership Institute 2007-10 attendees worked on year-long change management initiatives/projects of importance to their respective health-care institutions. Most leaders were in first-line positions with <3 years' experience.

Consenting leaders' project reports (N = 133) were content analysed for specific themes: types of projects; scope of projects (e.g. unit or local level, departmental, institutional); influence targets or key stakeholder groups targeted by the projects; leadership successes and challenges.

Of study participants, 77% successfully completed their projects. Staff tool and resource development and existing services improvement were major project types. Care delivery teams were the major influence targets. Only 25% of projects were at the unit level. Many projects had broader scopes, such as institutional levels. Participants cited multiple leadership successes, including enhanced leadership styles and organizational skills.

First-line nurse leaders were able to successfully manage projects beyond their traditional scope of responsibilities. The majority of projects dealt with staff needs and healthcare restructuring initiatives.

Constant change is a global reality. Change management, a universal competency, must be included in leadership development programmes.