Challenges and strategy in adopting transformational leadership in nursing: a systematic review
International Journal of Development Research
Challenges and strategy in adopting transformational leadership in nursing: a systematic review
Received 29th September, 2025 Received in revised form 30th September, 2025 Accepted 15th October, 2025 Published online 25th October, 2025
Copyright©2025, Mamtaz Begum. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Introduction: Health care environment is changing in the digitalized world which is challenging to the nurses who are the major task force in health care sector. Nurses need very high level of coordination to provide organized service which demand an adoptable leadership. Transformational leadership is a flexible leadership style which is found effective in health sector. At what extent Transformational leadership is applied in nursing, it’s challenges and strategy of overcoming such challenge is explored in a systematic review. Method: A systematic review conducted including existing literature from English data bases that published in the last 13 years. Relevant articles were identified using key words and available data from the reviewed articles were summarized, categorized and interpreted based on research question. Result: The great impact of Transformational leadership is observed across the world from General ward to Emergency care setting among staff nurse, first level nurse manager, nurse leader and nurse educator. The major challenge in adopting Transformational leadership was identified as lack of leadership training, communication, workplace culture, professionalism, workload, resistance to change etc. Nurses may overcome that challenge through agreed role definition, empowering staff, setting goal and finding strategy collectively.