Stock image of a young nurse chatting with a colleague in the break room)

Leading An Empowered Organisation


Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery

The Leading an Empowered Organisation programme focuses on developing leadership effectiveness by equipping participants with the skills to build strong interpersonal relationships, support others and lead meaningful organisational change.

It introduces a structured empowerment framework centred on ownership, clearly articulated expectations, and the alignment of responsibility, authority and accountability (RAA), alongside key concepts such as the 'empowerment triangle'.

Participants gain an understanding of leadership principles and the leader’s role in setting expectations, while also learning to foster healthy, interdependent team environments and avoid ineffective or punitive leadership behaviours.

The programme emphasises building team capacity and competence, creating a positive learning culture and leading change effectively by avoiding repeated unresolved issues and gaining commitment from others.

It is also highly practical in nature, requiring participants to apply their learning through action planning and the completion of a quality improvement project, ensuring that leadership development translates into tangible organisational outcomes.

Leading an Empowered Organisation is a three-day, internationally recognised leadership programme designed by healthcare professionals for healthcare professionals, which will be offered monthly from September 2026 until May 2027.

Programme lead: Professor Mary Rose Sweeney

Leading an Empowered Organisation brochure PDF | 1690.6 KB

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of this programme, participants will be able to:

  • Describe the six elements of the 'empowerment model': ownership, articulated expectations, responsibility, authority and accountability.
  • Briefly discuss the history and concepts of management and leadership.
  • Define the leader's role in articulating expectations for individual and group performance.
  • Define and delineate the concepts of responsibility, authority and accountability.
  • Discuss the need for leaders to build relationships, avoid unhealthy leadership behaviours and achieve an interdependent work group.
  • Discuss the need for empowered leaders to build capacity (competence).
  • Avoid punitive practices and establish a learning environment.
  • Discuss the need for empowered leaders to lead change.
  • Avoid problems recycling and gain commitment.
  • Construct an action plan for using the knowledge, skills and tools represented in the 'empowerment model' to improve leadership effectiveness.