The perception of queen bee phenomenon in nurses; qualitative study in health sector

The aim of this study was to investigate how Queen bee syndrome, which is known as the mobbing behaviors of female employees from other female employees or managers, as perceived by nurses who are predominantly female workers.

The universe of the qualitative type patterned research was formed by 12 nurses between the ages of 20 and 40 who worked for at least one year in different parts of a private hospital on the Anatolian side of Istanbul province. Maximum diversity sampling method for purposes was used for sample selection. The research data were collected in the form of written recording and voice recording with an unstructured interview form, which includes the structure, gender, competence, support, conflict, and competition themes created by the researchers to evaluate the characteristics of Queen bee syndrome. Focus group interviews were held on 30 April 2018. The results were evaluated using descriptive analysis and indicator methods.

In the study, the nurses' responses to interview questions were examined and women managers felt more emotional than men managers, and therefore they were less successful in problem-solving than men managers, but they were more successful in communication among women. The majority of nurses stated that women managers are more suitable for management in healthcare, that they are open to change, but they are not enough for men to solve the problem due to the fact that they are more concerned with the details. In addition, a significant part of the nurses, more than one female managers can cause competition and conflict in the workplace, especially women managers with similar status, said that this situation is seen more.

The results of this study indicate that the woman is adapting to the Queen bee syndrome because of her ambition, competition, and emotional approaches, but that she has not been able to produce enough of it due to the environment.