Sense Making and Knowledge Transfer: Capturing the Knowledge and Wisdom of Nursing Leaders

Area of Science:

• Nursing Leadership
• Organizational Psychology
• Knowledge Management

Background:

• Experienced nurse leaders hold valuable implicit wisdom crucial for developing future leaders.
• The dynamic healthcare environment necessitates effective knowledge transfer strategies.
• Traditional methods may not fully capture the depth of leadership wisdom.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine leadership wisdom, complexity, and knowledge within contemporary healthcare.
• To introduce and illustrate the application of sense-making methodology for knowledge transfer.
• To provide a framework for systematically passing on leadership expertise.

Main Methods:

• Exploration of leadership theories and knowledge management principles.
• Analysis of the concept of sense-making as a cognitive process.
• Presentation of a concrete example demonstrating sense-making in practice.

Main Results:

• Sense-making offers a structured approach to elicit and articulate implicit leadership knowledge.
• This methodology facilitates the transfer of nuanced wisdom beyond explicit instructions.
• The process helps bridge the gap between experienced and novice nurse leaders.

Conclusions:

• Sense-making is a viable and effective methodology for transferring leadership wisdom in nursing.
• Systematic knowledge transfer is essential for cultivating effective and resilient nurse leaders.
• Further research can explore adaptations of sense-making for diverse leadership contexts.