Abstract
To understand nurse leader and manager perspectives on employee engagement and their own role to foster engagement. To examine differences between managers of units with high versus low engagement. Health systems recognize the impact of employee engagement, yet alignment of leader and frontline-manager perspectives remains unclear. A qualitative study at the Veteran Affairs New England Healthcare System. Leaders at five facilities (N=13) and managers of units with high and low nurse engagement (N=31) were interviewed. Nurse leaders almost universally conceptualized staff engagement as involvement in quality improvement service, while managers defined engagement as either commitment to excellence in direct patient care or involvement in quality improvement efforts. Intra- and interprofessional attitude contagion, and organisational factors of staffing-time-workload and senior leadership support were most common to support or detract from nurse engagement. A variety of strategies were identified, including protecting nurses as people and professionals. Differences in perceived roles and constraints to engaging nurse staff exist between managers of units with high versus low engagement. Nurse managers and leaders perceive engagement differently; strategies exist to facilitate engagement. Leader and manager partnerships are needed to provide clarity on and resources for engagement.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
