Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the current state of the interim manager (IM) role and the impact of the role on job performance.
BACKGROUND: Interim managers provide leadership during organizational change, yet little is known about the role and its impact on outcomes.
METHODS: An electronic survey was completed by 179 IMs working in acute care hospitals. Instruments included the Nurse Manager Practice Environment Scale, Decision Involvement Scale, Subjective Stress Scale, Maslach Burnout Inventory, and Brief Resilience Scale.
RESULTS: The average tenure for IMs was 10 months. Despite moderately high levels of stress and exhaustion, IMs were resilient, positively viewed their work environment, and perceived their job performance as positively impacting nurse and patient outcomes. Interim managers were generally satisfied in their roles and likely to pursue nursing leadership as a career.
CONCLUSION: Interim managers desire permanent leadership opportunities providing a pool for replacing exiting nurse managers. Support is needed to be successful.