[Nursing leadership styles at a public institution of Fortaleza]

[Management in nursing: a critical view about the knowledge produced in Brazilian journals (2000-2004)]

This study aimed at analyzing the scientific production about management in nursing in Brazilian journals through bibliographic research in the period from 2000 to 2004. This bibliographic study considered data bases and libraries during the period of May to July 2005. From the texts submitted to categorization apprehended the following categories: general considerations about management; the formation of nurse in management area; models of management in nursing in practice and management theories used; difficulties in nursing management; suggestions of changes and solutions to be searched. The confronts and reflections pointed out the need of transformation of management in direction to a participative and flexive posture, valuing the human potential.

[Leadership in the nursing context]

Leadership is one of the most indispensable tools for nursing work. This study is aimed at making a bibliographical survey about leadership in the nursing context and characterizing the scientific production on the topic based on year and place of publication and theme categorization. An online literature review, carried out using LILACS data, considered periodical material, dissertations and theses available in Portuguese and Spanish from the past twenty years. From the 31 selected works, 17 (54.8%) have been published in international nursing magazines, 10 (32.2%) have been published in Brazilian nursing periodicals, 3 (9.8%) were Master's Degree theses, and one (3.2%) was a teaching thesis, with publication concentrated between 1997 and 1998 (22.6%). When categorizing the references, the numbers were: 14 (45.2%) dealt with nurse leadership styles, 15 (48.5%) were reflections upon leadership, and 2 (6.4%) discussed leadership and communication.

A survey of total quality management in Iran

PURPOSE

The objective of this research is to investigate the success of TQM and barriers to its successful implementation in health care services organizations in Isfahan province, Iran, 2004.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

This descriptive and cross-sectional research was done via two questionnaires (TQM success and its barriers). The statistical population of this research consists of all managers of health care services organizations who implemented TQM in their organizations (90 managers).

FINDINGS

TQM success in Isfahan health care organizations was high. In correlation analyses between the success of TQM and its principles, success, process management and focus on employees had a positive and the greatest effect and focus on material resources and on suppliers had a lower effect. In correlation analysis between the barriers to TQM and the problem dimensions, human resource, strategic and structural problems were the most important obstacles and barriers to TQM successful implementation respectively.

RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS

Although conducted in Iran, it is anticipated that the findings may well have relevance on a broader scale.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

By replicating this study in different countries and contexts the results could be very fruitful for developing a model of TQM that can be implemented easily, effectively, efficiently and successfully in a cross-cultural context.