The enactment of compassionate leadership by nursing and midwifery managers: Results from an international online survey

Abstract

Aim: To explore the views of an international sample of nursing and midwifery managers concerning attributes that they associate with compassionate management. Method: A cross-sectional online survey. Using a snowballing sampling method, 1,217 responses were collected from nursing and midwifery managers in 17 countries. A total of complete 933 responses to a question related to which actions and behaviours indicated that a manager was exercising compassionate leadership were analysed for this paper. Firstly, content analysis of the responses was conducted, and secondly a relative distribution of the identified themes for the overall sample and for each participating country was calculated. Results: Six main themes were identified describing the attributes of a compassionate leader: 1) Virtuous Support, 2) Communication, 3) Personal Virtues of the Manager, 4) Participatory Communication, 5) Growth/Flourishing/ Nurturing, and 6) Team Cohesion. The first three themes mentioned above collectively accounted for 63% of the responses, and can therefore be considered to be the most important characteristics of compassionate management behaviour. Conclusion: The key indicators of compassionate management in nursing and midwifery which were identified emphasise approachability, active and sensitive listening, sympathetic responses to staff members' difficulties (especially concerning child- and other caring responsibilities), active support of and advocacy for the staff team, and active problem solving and conflict resolution. While there were differences between the countries' views on compassionate healthcare management, some themes were widely represented among different countries' responses, which suggest key indicators of compassionate management that apply across cultures.

Building Culturally Competent Compassion in Nurses Caring for Vulnerable Populations

“…It is considered an essential competency that must be strengthened and cultivated in healthcare professionals and particularly in Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN). It is designed to provide proper care in all dimensions and for all groups of people, families, and communities in issues related to health and disease (Sinclair et al, 2016;Sinclair et al, 2020) Given this reality, compassion can be defined as a desire or motivation to alleviate other people's suffering through reflective and effective actions (Papadopoulos et al, 2018). Therefore, compassion is not synonymous with pity for other individuals, as this would imply a relationship of superiority, but it is rather a horizontal relationship between two people who establish an authentic connection based on respect, communication, and kindness (Soler Ribaudi, 2018, p. 43).…”

“…In this regard, culturally competent compassion is essential to address social inequalities in health that exist in culturally diverse societies (Papadopoulos et al, 2018). Regarding the case of Brazil, it is important to highlight the country's wide range of cultures and ethnic groups.…”