Nursing leadership succession planning: paths for elaboration

Objective: To describe the construction of a nursing leadership succession plan for a hospital based on the appreciative reflection of nurses. Method: Descriptive exploratory study with a qualitative approach carried out with nurses in a federal public teaching hospital. Data collection was carried out in two stages. The first was an individual interview, and the second was group mediation conducted based on the 4D Cycle and the assumptions of Appreciative Inquiry. Descriptive analysis of the findings was carried out. Results: The data showed a highly qualified team of different generations, concerned with succession planning based on scientific evidence, involving teams and carried out carefully for nurses at different stages of their professional careers. Conclusion: The principles of Appreciative Inquiry allowed the construction of a succession plan to enhance leadership development actions in the hospital. The collaborative environment between generations was valued and planning focused on participatory management was created in the process. This aspect can profoundly change the institution's internal policy in several areas and point out ways to implement succession planning in different contexts.