Supporting “two-getherness”: Assumption for nurse managers working in a shared leadership model

Abstract

New leadership models are developing; one of them is shared leadership, which is often described at the team level. In this study, shared leadership is explored at the managerial level. The aim of this case study was to describe two nurse manager's experiences of working together as equal partners within a shared leadership model at an intensive care unit in Sweden. The study comprised a total of 12 interviews collected over three years with two nurse managers who worked together in shared leadership. 'Developing active influence to improve care' was identified as the core category, which was related to five subcategories 'Safeguarding leadership', 'Enabling leadership', 'Supporting 'two'-getherness', 'Transparent determination' and 'Balancing power'. A new construct 'two'-getherness' was created, this means that two equal nurse managers within a trustful relationship share responsibility and tasks by using the couples' strengths and minimizing their weaknesses. Nurse managers experienced increased opportunities to improve work standards and do the very best for the ward. Moreover, the shared leadership model balanced the burden of day-to-day management. A model of shared leadership was created for further research.