Conclusion
Nurse managers must quench the remnants of histor- ical influences, and balance the complex issues of revenues and profit with the delicate issues of human relations which focus on staffs needs and patient care (Dixon 1999). Whilst nurse mangers must employ transactional and transformational leadership styles to manage the complexities of the current health service, they must also foster key competencies and pursue training and development to enhance effective trans- formational leadership performance (Pashley 1998). Transformational leaders must be visionary, balanced, self-aware and confident of breaking existing profes- sional boundaries to develop a multidisciplinary team approach to patient care. Through a chain reaction, their charismatic persona can empower staff. This can be realized through individual consideration, intellec- tual stimulation and effective communication, which inspires, motivates and encourages staff to achieve
organizational goals (Bass et al. 1987a). Transforma- tional leadership could provide a new optimism in a changing health care environment. Through partnering efforts, sharing information and sharing power, the transformational leadership can increase staff satis- faction, alleviate the burden of staff shortages and resource constraints whilst creating working environ- ments that benefit nurses and ultimately patients (Spence-Laschinger et al. 2000, Clegg 2001). The transformational leader is the catalyst for creating new innovative organizational paradigms, which manoeuvre between the system, the staff and patient care.