Abstract
Abstract:The lack of management of the poor performance of nurses by operational managers at health care institutions in Gauteng is widely reported. Studies reported that dealing with the poor performance of employees should be done at the first sign of a deviation from expected behaviour, in order to avoid the “rotten apple effect.” This study therefore aimed at exploring and describing the experiences of operational managers in the management of the poor performance of nurses in a regional hospital in Ekurhuleni. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design was used for this study. Participants were purposively selected from the population and consisted of the individuals who voluntarily consented to participate in this study. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted. Findings demonstrated that participants lacked the knowledge and skills to manage the poor performance of nurses. Three themes emerged from the study with sub-themes, namely; Experiences of challenges in managing the poor performance of nurses, Emotional experiences and, Ineffective leadership practices. Strategies were developed to enable operational managers to manage the poor performance of nurses.