Recent organizational changes in countries such as
Australia have resulted in large-scale alterations to the
roles and responsibilities of nurse managers (Duffield
et al. 2007, 2011). More precisely, organizational flattening
and a concomitant decrease in middle management
positions have seen clinical nurse managers
assume a greater range of administrative responsibilities
(NSW Department of Health 2009a, Duffield et al.
2011). As a consequence, these managers may have less
time available to provide clinical leadership. Clearly,
management education needs to respond to these pressures,
to support effective management and thus, enable
a more positive work environment.