Nursing leadership - towards an understanding
All leaders in whatever position they were in combined their sphere of influence with clinical practice. That is, it was nursing knowledge from nursing practice which gave them legitimacy for their leadership influence. This did not mean, however, that all leaders perceived themselves to be clinical leaders, rather nursing knowledge derived from practice was fundamental to the thinking of the nursing leaders and all leaders believed that they influenced clinical practice either directly or indirectly in their leadership role.
For the respondents, nursing knowledge derived from nursing practice was a central component to their leadership philosophy. Accessing and promoting the development of that knowledge was essential to their nursing leadership success. Nursing knowledge within this context was defined as understanding the philosophical basis of nursing, which incorporated an ethic of care and an ideology of caring. In addition respondents had
knowledge of contemporary issues within nursing practice, together with knowledge of factors which may promote or inhibit the further development of nursing practice.
Analysis also revealed that nursing leadership has both an internal and external focus. This dual perspective seems integral to understanding nursing leadership. Internally within nursing it is the relationship which leaders develop between the political, academic, management and clinical domains which enables access to and explication of nursing knowledge.
Externally, it is the relationship leaders create between nursing and the socio-political context which enables leaders to position nursing to acquire power and influence. The following analysis examines the leaders' role in operating between nursing practice and the policy context in more detail.