Aim: We sought nurse managers' perspectives on challenges and opportunities with technology and how it may influence communication and leadership.
Background: e-Leadership is a conceptual framework used to understand and teach organisational leaders about the application of technology to leadership. Technology is integral to leadership, yet little is understood about how nurse managers may use this technology and how they negotiate the complexity of the multiple communication systems currently in use.
Methods: Sixteen nurse managers from individual hospitals within a large US healthcare system participated in qualitative open-ended interviews and focus groups.
Results: Four themes emerged from the qualitative data regarding the nurse managers' perspectives of e-Leadership and their use of information and communication technologies: (a) Can't live without it, (b) Too much, too many, (c) Poor onboarding education and (d) Difficulty maintaining virtual relationships.
Implications for nursing management: Effective and safe patient care is dependent on multiple technology applications that require significant knowledge and practice. Nursing leadership may consider the need for more supported mentorship, and engaging programs to educate nurse managers about the dozens of applications required to effectively manage and lead. For technology to be used to its full potential it should be designed with nursing involvement.
Keywords: e-Leadership; information communication technology; qualitative research.
© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.