Transformational Leadership Practices of Chief Nursing Officers: Which Skills Lead to Pathway To Excellence® Designation?

OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to compare the transformational leadership practices of the Chief Nursing Officer in Pathway to Excellence designated organizations and non-designated organizations.

METHODOLOGY
The population for the study included Chief Nursing Officers (CNO’s) within organizations both Pathway to Excellence (PTE) designated and non-designated. Of the 119 respondents, 59 were from the former (response rate = 54%) and 60 from the latter. Respondents provided demographic information and completed the Leadership Practices Inventory. On average, participants were 31 years of age, with 9+ years of experience. The majority of PTE participants had a Master of Science in Nursing, while the most common degree seen among non-designated participants was a PhD. Most respondents were from not-for-profit institutions.

KEY FINDINGS
The most frequently engaged in leadership practice for PTE CNOs was Enable, followed by Inspire and Model, and then Encourage and Challenge; and the same ranking was true for CNOs from non-PTE institutions. However, the former group indicated engaging significantly more than their latter colleagues in the leadership practice of Enable and Encourage.