Review Emotionally intelligent nurse leadership: a literature review study KRISTIN AKERJORDET MNSc, INT, RN 1* and ELISABETH SEVERINSSON MCSc, DrPH, RPN, RNT 21 Doctoral Student and Lecturer, Department of Health Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Stavanger and 2 Professor, Department of Health Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Stavanger, and Department of Quality Assurance and Training, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway Introduction In recent years, neurobiological research has created a paradigm shift in organizational behaviour literature, illustrating the importance of taking the intelligence of feelings seriously (Damasio 1999, Goleman et al. 2002). In many ways, emotional intelligence (EI) offers new potential for nurse leadership in terms of reciprocal interdependent interaction that is embedded in a social context (Snow 2002, Wong & Law 2002, Yukl 2006). Broadly defined, EI represents a set of core competen- cies for: identifying, processing and managing emotions that enable nurse leaders to cope with daily demands in a knowledgeable, approachable and supportive manner (Goleman et al. 2002, Matthews et al. 2007, Watson 2004). Despite the well-documented benefits of EI associated with leader effectiveness (Wong & Law 2002), organizational life has been reluctant to make Correspondence Kristin Akerjordet Department of Health Studies Faculty of Social Sciences University of Stavanger N-4036 Stavanger Norway E-mail: kristin.akerjordet@uis.no *This paper was developed when the first author was a Visiting Fel- low at the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health, University of Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia. This paper was developed when the second author was a Visiting Professor at the Centre for Mid- wifery, Child and Family Health, Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia. AKERJORDET K . & SEVERINSSON E . (2008) Journal of Nursing Management 16, 565–577 Emotionally intelligent nurse leadership: a literature review study Aim To establish a synthesis of the literature on the theoretical and empirical basis of emotional intelligence and itÕs linkage to nurse leadership, focusing on subjective well-being and professional development. Background Emotional intelligence has been acknowledged in the literature as supporting nurse leadership that fosters a healthy work environment, creating inspiring relationships based on mutual trust. Nurse leaders who exhibit charac- teristics of emotional intelligence enhance organizational, staff and patient out- comes. Method A literature search was undertaken using international data bases covering the period January 1997 to December 2007. Eighteen articles were included in this integrative review and were thoroughly reviewed by both authors. Results Emotional intelligence was associated with positive empowerment processes as well as positive organizational outcomes. Conclusion Emotionally intelligent nurse leadership characterized by self-awareness and supervisory skills highlights positive empowerment processes, creating a favourable work climate characterized by resilience, innovation and change. Implications for nursing management Emotional intelligence cannot be considered a general panacea, but it may offer new ways of thinking and being for nurse leaders, as it takes the intelligence of feelings more seriously by continually reflecting, evaluating and improving leadership and supervisory skills. Keywords: emotional intelligence, empowerment, literature review, nurse leadership, supervision Accepted for publication: 3 December 2007 Journal of Nursing Management, 2008, 16, 565–577 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2834.2008.00893.x ª 2008 The Authors. Journal compilation ª 2008 Blackwell Publishing Ltd 565