Transforming workplace culture using person-centered leadership in a Nursing Education Institution in South Africa

Abstract

Person-centered leadership in the workplace governs better outcomes through affording dignity, respect, compassion, caring and coordinated  support resulting in personal and professional growth for all team members. A person-centered workplace culture needs effective leadership to deliver high quality services and ensure human progress. We intended to explore person-centered leadership as a way of transforming the workplace culture. A qualitative consensus design guided the study. Forty-six nurse educators and nurse managers were purposively sampled. During a consensus meeting, participants explored the influence of leadership practices on creating a person-centered workplace culture. Data were thematically analyzed. Four themes related to person-centered leadership emerged during the consensus meeting, namely: leadership skills,
leading change, collaborative decision making and workplace motivation. We recommend that leaders adopt person-centered leadership values to create a positive workplace culture for employees.

Key concepts: person-centered leadership, transformation, workplace culture, person centeredness