A New Paradigm for Nurse Leader Decision-Making Within Complex Adaptive Systems

Health care is a complex and ever-changing environment for nurse leaders and other health care industry decision-makers. The prevailing leadership and decision-making models, rooted in Industrial Age principles, often struggle to adapt to the complexities of modern health care. This article explores the foundations of complexity science and its application to health care decision-making, highlighting the importance of understanding systems dynamics and embracing complexity. Drawing from systems knowledge, the Cynefin Sensemaking Framework, and understanding how to develop enabling constraints, nurse leaders can navigate the complexities of health care by identifying the nature of the problem and applying appropriate decision-making strategies, fostering agility and innovation. By embracing complexity and adopting adaptive leadership approaches, nurse leaders can pragmatically navigate the complexities of modern health care and drive transformative change. This manuscript provides methods for nurse leaders to enhance decision-making within the dynamic landscape of health care as a complex adaptive system.