Enoc I. Hernández-Cantú, Coordinación Clínica de Educación e Investigación en Salud, Hospital General de Zona No. 67, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Apodaca, Nuevo León, México
Transformational leadership has emerged as a key force in managing nursing teams, offering innovative and effective solutions to the current challenges in the healthcare sector. This paper explores its conceptual foundations, introduced by James MacGregor Burns and refined by Bernard Bass, and its implementation in nursing practice. Through its core components —idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration—, this leadership has proven to enhance job satisfaction, reduce staff turnover, and improve patient care quality. In a context marked by staff shortages and heavy workloads, transformational leadership is not just a management strategy but a catalyst for positive change. This analysis addresses the empirical benefits, challenges, and opportunities for its implementation, highlighting policy implications and best practices for developing transformational leaders in nursing, providing a comprehensive view of its relevance and potential impact on healthcare delivery.
Keywords: Leadership. Head nurses. Leadership and governance capacity. Shared governance, nursing.