Nursing leadership strategies in addressing COVID-19 in light of John Kotter’s framework

Objective: To analyze the leadership strategies of nurses in university hospitals in response to care management changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, informed by John Kotter’s insights. Methods: This multicentric study utilized qualitative and analytical methods. It was conducted through semi-structured interviews with 139 lead nurses from 10 university hospitals in Brazil. Data analysis included Bardin’s content analysis and the webQDA software. Results: The primary category identified was “Nursing Leadership Strategies in the Battle Against COVID-19,” encompassing five subcategories. This category underscored the importance of strategic vision in nursing leadership for combating COVID-19 within hospital settings, as well as the necessity of working collaboratively with their teams and other healthcare professionals. Final Considerations: The results highlight the strategies used by lead nurses in confronting COVID-19, which can be associated with John Kotter’s theoretical framework and his model of change.