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As healthcare delivery assumes a team approach and interventions are distributed among multiple disciplines, the nurse administrator frequently is the one expected to lead the team players. The administrator is expected to take charge, be a responsible role model and a competent mentor. The role is not unlike that of a parent in a family, where each member has different development tasks and responsibilities, yet each looks to the parent for guidance and leadership. As with parenting, the nurse administrator's job may be laden with uncertainty, anxiety, and other emotional reactions.

As nurses work toward improving their administrative skills, they may benefit by increasing their understanding of family patterns and dynamics that are applicable to their work setting. The purpose of this article is to apply the concepts of one family development theory, Bowen's family systems theory, to nursing administration. Nurses may be aided in their administrative role by viewing interactions among the members of their organization similarly to interactions within a family.