Leadership is one of the most important concerns nowadays. The way in which it
is exercised largely determines the efficiency and effectiveness of groups and
organizations operating in sectors such as health and others, and above all in the business
world (Jesuíno, 1999). The new health policy currently in force essentially introduces
changes in hospital management and funding methods, seeking to promote
efficiency, effectiveness, fairness, accessibility and quality in the services provided (OPSS, 2003).
According to Ferreira (2006), in the future, in order to satisfy the inevitable
increase in the demand for improvements in the quality and suitability of the services and
healthcare given to patients, it is essential for the health system to be centered on the person,
both as a citizen and a healthcare professional. This will contribute to an effective
participation based on autonomy, the development of strong leaderships and the recognition of
the flexibility necessary for encouraging experimentation and realizing the importance
of information as the basis for any evaluation (Ferreira, 2006).
Thus, in an environment in which great efforts have been made to define the
right policies in healthcare, its `actors' need to be stimulated to adopt an attitude of
innovative and creative leadership, making each person responsible for their specific role,
beginning with the managers (Neves, 2000). Head nurses belong to this group of managers,
for, besides the functions with which they are entrusted under the legislation governing
the Nursing Career, they also have the responsibility to "develop working methods that
favor an improved level of performance by nursing staff and to take responsibility
for guaranteeing the quality of the nursing care provided" (Portugal, 2003). Developing
working methods requires a strong goal-oriented leadership; where the capacity to influence
a group is converted into a continuous, persevering and priority action, with the sense
of providing a good service becoming the main concern (Vargas, 2007). |
