Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jun 26;15(6):e096926.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-096926.

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

Abdullah Algunmeeyn  1 , Majd T Mrayyan  2
Affiliations

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

Abdullah Algunmeeyn et al. BMJ Open. .

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.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

References

    1. Ali M, Zhang L, Shah SJ, et al. Impact of humble leadership on project success: the mediating role of psychological empowerment and innovative work behavior. LODJ . 2020;41:349–67. doi: 10.1108/LODJ-05-2019-0230. - DOI
    1. Ali M, Li Z, Khan S, et al. Linking humble leadership and project success: the moderating role of top management support with mediation of team-building. IJMPB . 2021;14:545–62. doi: 10.1108/IJMPB-01-2020-0032. - DOI
    1. Ali M, Zhang L, Zhang Z, et al. Can Leaders’ Humility Enhance Project Management Effectiveness? Interactive Effect of Top Management Support. Sustainability. 2021;13:9526. doi: 10.3390/su13179526. - DOI
    1. Al-mabhee DA. Humble leadership and its impact on achieving civil behavior. Rev Int Geograph Educat. 2021;11:134–43. doi: 10.48047/rigeo.11.12.14. Available. - DOI
    1. Fabian K. Humble leadership: Why humility matters for managers. 2021. https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/9791-humble-leadership.html Available.

LinkOut - more resources