Determining innovative leadership characteristics of generation X and Y

This study, which was conducted to determine the innovative leadership characteristics of nurses in Generation X and Y, is descriptive, cross-sectional, and comparative in design. The study was carried out with 324 nurses representing Generation X and Y in a training and research hospital in Izmir. The data were collected with Personal Information Form and Innovative Leadership Scale. Descriptive statistics, Mann Whitney U test and Kruskal Wallis H (Mann Whitney U test with post hoc Bonferroni correction) were used to analyse the data. According to the findings, 34% of the nurses were in Generation X and 66% were in Generation Y. The mean total score of the Innovative Leadership Scale was 3.96±0.38 in Generation X and 3.9±0.52 in Generation Y. The innovative leadership level of nurses in both generations was found to be at a high level, but no significant difference was found between the mean scale scores of Generation X and Generation Y. Significant and positive effects of educational status, position in the unit where they work, and working time in the unit where they work on the innovative leadership level of nurses were found. As a result, it is recommended to evaluate the factors affecting the innovative leadership characteristics of nurses in Generation X and Y and to make necessary plans to eliminate negative factors, to provide in-service training on innovation practices, and to plan education and research programmes appropriate to the characteristics of generations.