Reeves, S., Macmillan, K., & van Soeren, M. (2010). Leadership of interprofessional health and social care teams: a socio-historical analysis. Journal of Nursing Management, 18(3), 258- doi:10.1111/j.1365-2834.2010.01077.x

This study looks at the work between nursing and other professional teams that involve healthcare partially or fully. In this case, the inter-professional work is between nurses and social care teams and the subject is looked at from a socio-historical perspective. Indeed, the report looks at leadership when it comes to such inter-professional teams. Over the last quarter of a century, there are many that have been calling for more collaboration between such people so as to improve the overall quality of health care. It is indeed regarded by many to be one of the key approaches that can be undertaken to accomplish a higher standard of care. Rather than each team or group being its own proverbial island, there needs to be a matrix-like web of interactions between these teams so that care is seamless and consistent as it passed from one medical professional to another, from one social care group to another or from one type of group to another. However, there are clear and present barriers that exist when it comes to accomplishing this and the implications for nursing management and leadership theory are hard to miss. The nursing side of the equation is seen as being a key broker and catalyst in the arrangements that exist and this has been confirmed by two to three decades of research. The aim of this particular study is to look at history and assess it in a way that gives a rare perspective that allows for a fostering of understanding. The authors label this as a key antecedent to the desired outcomes that are ostensibly wanted by nurses and social care agencies alike.

Galletta, M., Portoghese, I., Battistelli, A., & Leiter, M. P. (2013). The roles of unit leadership and nurse-physician collaboration on nursing turnover intention. Journal of Advanced

Nursing, 69(8), 1771-1784 14p. doi:10.1111/jan.12039

This report also focuses on nursing leadership theory and collaboration. However, this one focuses on the collaborative relationship (or lack thereof) that exists between nurses and physicians and how a poor manifestation of this can lead to nurses wanting to leave their position for a different one, otherwise known as turnover intention. The aim of the study in question is to report about the correlation or lack thereof between certain factors in the work environment and the intention of the nurses in question to seek different employment or otherwise leave their employer. The study surveyed a group of 832 nurses and more than four out of five nurses surveyed (81.7%) responded to the survey. The results showed that there is a strong relationship...

Both of these levels can be correlated with the intention to seek different employment. Further, they found that these leadership relations with physicians that were pronounced led to clear affected commitment to their units and a seemingly corresponding lack of people wishing to leave their unit. This led to the study's authors giving a couple of conclusions. First, the rapport and cohesiveness with other staff members is a huge part of the equation. Further, it was found that the leaders in a nursing/doctor group need to implement management practices that promote and encourage high-quality nurse/supervisor and nurse/physician relationships. This in turn leads to a higher self-identification with nurses as it relates to the units they work in.
Richardson, A., & Storr, J. (2010). Patient safety: a literative review on the impact of nursing empowerment, leadership and collaboration [corrected] [published erratum appears in INT NURS REV 2010 Mar;57(1):158]. International Nursing Review, 57(1), 12-21 10p.

doi:10.1111/j.1466-7657.2009.00757.x

Two other terms that get tossed around when it comes to collaboration and its impact on nursing leadership and performance are empowerment and patient safety. The study admits up front that nurses are not leaders on the level of doctors and other higher level medical/administrative professionals but their overall placement in the health care continuum makes it very important for them to be on board and empowered when it comes to what is going on and patient safety in general. The Richardson study sought out to identify the degree to which the nursing leadership patterns, amount of collaboration and amount of empowerment impacts patient safety. By extension, this leads to the discussion of a specific list of things that were and should be looked at including leadership, advocacy, interdisciplinary working, empowerment and collaboration. The author of the study did a fairly extensive literature review of eleven different papers relating to those subjects. Of those, seven were in the U.S.A., two were in Canada and one each were in the United Kingdom and Iceland. Despite the wealth of knowledge that was found, there were also some clear gaps that existed. Even so, the methodologies of the research and theory discussed were pretty disparate and different. There was one systematic review, one cohort study, four qualitative studies and three cross-sectional studies. There was also a survey and an evaluation. Even so, the depth and breadth of the studies was less than desirable in some cases and this led to the aforementioned gaps.

Pfaff, K. A., Baxter, P. E., Jack, S. M., & Ploeg, J.…