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Measuring nurse managers' boundary spanning: development and psychometric evaluation
Author(s) -
Onishi Mami
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of nursing management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.925
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1365-2834
pISSN - 0966-0429
DOI - 10.1111/jonm.12358
Subject(s) - boundary spanning , cronbach's alpha , nursing , scale (ratio) , psychology , boundary (topology) , construct validity , reliability (semiconductor) , applied psychology , psychometrics , medicine , knowledge management , clinical psychology , computer science , mathematical analysis , power (physics) , physics , mathematics , quantum mechanics
Aim To test the psychometric properties of a boundary spanning measure by nurse managers. Background The health‐care environment requires hospital units to coordinate efforts autonomously across their boundaries and to manage relationships with other professionals, units and departments. Boundary spanning has become increasingly important for first‐line nurse managers as unit gatekeepers; however, the available measures are limited. Method The 30‐item instrument was developed from a literature review. Survey participants were 4918 nurses at 231 hospital units. Statistical analyses of construct validity and internal consistency were performed. Furthermore, the correlation between nurses' scores on the Nurse Managers Boundary Spanning Scale and nurses' evaluations of their managers were examined. Results Three factors and 26 items were derived from factor analyses: connecting and mediating, informing and feedback utilisation, and resource acquisition. Cronbach's subscales' alpha coefficients were above 0.9. Correlation analysis indicated that the Nurse Managers Boundary Spanning Scale score correlated with nurses' positive perceptions of their managers. Conclusion This study demonstrates tentative support for the validity and reliability of the Nurse Managers Boundary Spanning Scale. Although further study is needed, the Nurse Managers Boundary Spanning Scale shows possibilities as a new measurement of nursing leadership. Implications This study underscores measures to build on nurse managers' roles by building on the limited research available.