| This correlational study identified and examined the relationships among selected variables perceived to influence effective management performance of directors of nursing. The study was designed to identify directors' of nursing perceptions of management skills needed now, and in the future, to effectively direct departments of nursing.;The three domains of human, conceptual, and technical skills identified by Robert Katz served as the conceptual framework.;The research questions that guided this study were: (1) To what extent do directors of nursing agree or disagree with the human, conceptual, and technical skills identified in the literature and validated by an expert nursing panel as being important for effective management by nursing directors? (2) What is the relationship between directors' of nursing self assessments of skill performance and their agreement or disagreement with the skills identified? (3) What is the relationship between personal and institutional demographic characteristics and directors' of nursing agreement or disagreement with skills?;A questionnaire designed by the researcher and validated by a panel of nursing experts used a two stage development and judgment quantification process. The feasibility of the research plan and the internal consistency of the survey tool were assessed by pilot testing the research instrument.;A split-half technique and Spearman-Brown Prophecy Formula was used to estimate the reliability of the tool. A random sample mail survey of directors of nursing was conducted.;Data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics and cross tabulated to examine relationships among variables. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was used to measure the degree of association between the perception of directors' of nursing self assessment of effective management performance, demographic characteristics of directors' of nursing, and agreement/disagreement with skills identified.;The results of this study provide a core of observable behaviors in three management skill domains for hospital directors of nursing. Directors of nursing agreed with skills identified in each domain. A lack of association was found between personal, professional, and institutional characteristics, and the directors' of nursing agreement/disagreement with management skills. |
