Transforming South African Public Hospitals Through Intrapreneurship Practice: Views of Unit Nurse Managers Regarding Their Potential Contribution

The insurmountable challenges confronting public hospitals globally jeopardize envisaged quality. South Africa health care system faces a number of challenges calling for strategic business approaches embodied through intrapreneurship practice. As a foreign concept in nursing, intrapreneurship is least understood. Views of unit nurse managers concerning their potential contribution towards improving services at public hospitals are least understood. A qualitative, descriptive and explorative study done through focus groups shed light. Data analysed through Tesch approach culminated in rich verbatim. The participants’ shared the following views concerning their intrapreneurial contribution; ability to take–risk in bureaucratic public hospitals; they associate the initiative with creativity and novelty through leading transformative projects in teams, the business leaders are knowledgeable, and share ideas internally or outside. The remarkable paradigm shift in nursing adopting business strategies has a significant impact on outcome of nursing care. The proposed recommendations adding significant value, transform health care policy, practice, education. On-going capacity development for the nurses in clinical practice is a necessary quality improvement initiative.