Challenges to the Adoption of Ethical Leadership Among Nurses: A Qualitative Study in a Moroccan Public Hospital

Author : Assia HAZIM

Abstract : Background: Ethical leadership is promoted as a lever for improving care quality and managing occupational stress, yet the obstacles to its adoption among nurses in resource-constrained public hospitals remain underexplored. Purpose: To explore the challenges nurses associate with adopting ethical leadership; this paper reports one theme from a larger qualitative study in a Moroccan public hospital. Methodology: Twenty-seven nurses, including 11 head nurses, took part in semi-structured interviews based on an interview guide. Verbatim transcripts underwent thematic content analysis using NVivo. Key Findings: Five interrelated challenges emerged. 1. Structural-contextual constraints: lack of material resources and institutional support, generating moral distress, being expected to lead ethically while structurally prevented from doing so. 2. The perceived non-teachable nature of ethics, seen as innate or shaped by early family and social education. 3. Personal limits: emotional self-regulation and blurred personal–professional boundaries. 4. Team resistance to change: disengagement, cynicism and distrust. 5. Prejudice: ethical initiatives suspected of idealism or hidden self-interest. Conclusion: In this public-hospital context, adopting ethical leadership is hindered mainly by structural, cultural and relational barriers. These findings are context-bound and not generalisable, but they suggest promotion strategies should target organisational conditions, not training alone.

Keywords : Barriers, ethical leadership, nurses, qualitative study.

Conference Name : International Conference on Nursing Leadership and Practice (ICNLP - 26)

Conference Place : Chennai, India

Conference Date : 4th Jul 2026