Self-leadership and why it matters to nurses: A scoping review

Abstract

Aim

To synthesize the previous findings of nurses’ self-leadership in hospital settings.

Background

Self-leadership is a process of comprehensive self-influence. People direct themselves toward optimal performance with self-motivation and take responsibility for their actions. Self-leadership has been found to have a connection with the experience of meaningfulness of work, commitment, and job satisfaction.

Methods

The scoping review was conducted by following the PRISMA-ScR reporting checklist. PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and PsycINFO databases were searched, and 1831 articles were identified and screened. Multiple study designs were included while specific inclusion and exclusion criteria regarding population, concept, and context were addressed. Narrative data synthesis was conducted.

Findings

The search identified a total of 13 relevant studies published between 2013 and 2023. Four themes were found to describe nurses’ self-leadership: Self-leadership is nurses' internal skill that increases with experience (n = 8); self-leadership improves nurses' work performance (n = 8); self-leadership supports work well-being (n = 5); and self-leadership thrives in favorable nursing work environments (n = 6).

Conclusion

Self-leadership has a positive connection to nurses’ work performance and well-being. Nursing students should be introduced to self-leadership skill development in their nursing education programs, and nurses should be offered continuing education opportunities to develop self-leadership skills throughout their careers. Further studies are necessary to fill the information gap about explaining self-leadership in the context of professional nursing and offering recommendations for how to strengthen nurses’ self-leadership skills.

Implications for nursing education, practice, and policy

Self-leadership encourages nurses to work proactively to improve patient care and enhance work environments. Self-leadership includes behaviors that can be encouraged through each developmental stage of a nurse's career. Faculty, nurse leaders, and organizational structures play an important role in identifying self-leadership behaviors and supporting their positive development.