Aim: To explore factors of human capital related to project success that employees expect from nurse managers.
Background: Human capital refers to those resources that managers working with projects possess, such as abilities, knowledge and qualities of character.
Method: The data were collected by open interviews (n=14) with nurses, public health nurses and nurse managers working in primary health care and a hospital. Data analysis was carried out using qualitative content analysis.
Results: The main factors of human capital related to project success proved to be as follows: (1) management of enthusiastic project culture, (2) management of regeneration and (3) management of emotional intelligence.
Conclusions: Future research is needed on the kind of means nurse managers use in human capital management in projects and how they see their possibilities in managing human capital.
Implications for nursing management: Human capital management skills should be underlined as an important competence area when recruiting a nurse manager. The success of health care projects cannot be improved only through education or by training of nurse managers; in addition, projects need nurse managers who understand workplace spirituality and have high emotional intelligence.
© 2011 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.