Cultivating a Spirit of Inquiry using a Nursing Leading-Following Model

Abstract

Healthcare systems have cocreated an environment in which the vast majority of nurses in staff positions have not been expected to lead for quality healthcare services. Both the nature of their work and the busyness of their schedules have prevented staff nurses from being available to generate ideas and to lead innovations in patient care and quality work environments. The purpose of this paper is to illuminate how a nursing leading-following model emanating from Parse’s humanbecoming theory guided the enrichment of the context and practice of nursing in a large academic health science center by helping leaders to cultivate nurses’ capacity to lead research projects that address patient-centered care and quality of work-life. Nurses’ participation in an annual nursing research challenge is highlighted to demonstrate what happens when nurses in formal leadership positions focus on cultivating the capacity to lead and the spirit of inquiry among all nurses.