Perspectives of nurse managers on information communication technology and e‐Leadership

• Published in: Journal of nursing management Vol. 27; no. 7; pp. 1554 - 1562
• Main Authors: Sharpp, Tara J., Lovelace, Kevin, Cowan, Lisa D., Baker, Dian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Hindawi Limited 01-10-2019
• Subjects: Aged; Application; Communication; Communications technology; e‐Leadership; Female; Focus Groups - methods; Health care; Hospital Communication Systems - standards; Hospital Communication Systems - trends; Hospitals; Humans; information communication technology; Information technology; Interprofessional Relations; Interviews as Topic - methods; Leadership; Male; Managers; Mentoring; Middle Aged; Nurse Administrators - psychology; Nurse Administrators - trends; Nurse managers; Nursing; Nursing administration; Patients; Perception; Professional practice; Qualitative Research; e-Leadership; information communication technology; qualitative research
• ISSN: 0966-0429; 1365-2834
• DOI: 10.1111/jonm.12845

Aim
We sought nurse managers’ perspectives on challenges and opportunities with technology and how it may influence communication and leadership.
Background
e‐Leadership is a conceptual framework used to understand and teach organisational leaders about the application of technology to leadership. Technology is integral to leadership, yet little is understood about how nurse managers may use this technology and how they negotiate the complexity of the multiple communication systems currently in use.
Methods
Sixteen nurse managers from individual hospitals within a large US healthcare system participated in qualitative open‐ended interviews and focus groups.
Results
Four themes emerged from the qualitative data regarding the nurse managers’ perspectives of e‐Leadership and their use of information and communication technologies: (a) Can't live without it, (b) Too much, too many, (c) Poor onboarding education and (d) Difficulty maintaining virtual relationships.
Implications for Nursing Management
Effective and safe patient care is dependent on multiple technology applications that require significant knowledge and practice. Nursing leadership may consider the need for more supported mentorship, and engaging programs to educate nurse managers about the dozens of applications required to effectively manage and lead. For technology to be used to its full potential it should be designed with nursing involvement.