Nursing leaders' humble leadership and nursing team performance: quality and accreditation project success in nursing schools - a qualitative study

Abstract

Objective: This study explored how humble leadership among nursing faculty influences team performance and the success of quality improvement and accreditation projects in Jordanian private universities, where such leadership approaches remain understudied despite growing accreditation demands.

Methods and analysis: A qualitative study was conducted using face-to-face semistructured interviews with 20 nursing faculty members from two private universities in Jordan (April-July 2023), selected via convenience snowball sampling. Thematic analysis followed A framework to examine participants' perspectives on (1) manifestations of humble leadership, (2) its impact on team dynamics and (3) project outcomes. Data collection continued until thematic saturation was achieved, with member checking used to validate interpretations.

Results: The analysis revealed three key findings. First, humility manifested at both leadership and team levels through shared learning and mutual growth. Second, humble leadership strengthened team performance by fostering open communication and psychological safety. Finally, accreditation success was facilitated by leaders who exemplified humility through inclusive delegation and recognition of contributions, proving particularly impactful in resource-limited academic environments.

Conclusion: The findings suggest humble leadership may serve as a valuable approach for nursing faculties navigating accreditation challenges, particularly in private university settings. While demonstrating potential benefits for team cohesion and project outcomes, the study highlights the need for intentional leadership development programmes that cultivate these competencies among nursing educators. Future research should explore how these findings translate to clinical nursing leadership contexts.

Keywords: Accreditation; Audit; Health Workforce; Hospital to Home Transition; Hospitals; Knowledge.