Legacy of Leadership Roles and Management Functions in
Nursing
This book’s philosophy has evolved over 35 years of teaching leadership and management. We
entered academe from the acute care sector of the health-care industry, where we held nursing
management positions. In our first effort as authors, Management Decision Making for Nurses:
101 Case Studies, published in 1987, we used an experiential approach and emphasized
management functions appropriate for first-and middle-level managers. The primary audience
for this text was undergraduate nursing students.
Our second book, Retention and Productivity Strategies for Nurse Managers, focused on
leadership skills necessary for managers to decrease attrition and increase productivity. This
book was directed at the nurse-manager rather than the student. The experience of completing
research for the second book, coupled with our clinical observations, compelled us to
incorporate more leadership content in our teaching and to write this book