Before discussing what I think the future of innovation in nursing looks like, I need to define what innovation means to me because it means different things to different people and sectors. At the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing), we define innovation as the creation of something new or the application of something used in a different way that delivers value.

Over the years, however, my definition of innovation has changed — I care less about the end product and more about the human-centered process used to create a solution. Ultimately, innovation is all about the mindset to accurately understand a problem and co-create a solution. Using the innovation methodology, you may end up with a “disruptive” innovation, but more importantly, you’ll end up with a human-centered, equity-centered solution that meets your end-users’ needs, wants, and desires.

When the Society of Nurse Scientists, Innovators, Entrepreneurs, and Leaders (SONSIEL) asked me to discuss the future of innovation in nursing, my first response was, “I have no idea.” I’m a pure innovation methodologist; I’m solution agnostic. Most people, when they hear the words “future of innovation,” immediately look toward solutions. So, I did what a lot of people are doing these days and asked ChatGPT.

Future of innovation in nursing?

What came back wasn’t surprising, but it was a bit discouraging. The first five items—integration of artificial intelligence (ai) & machine learning, virtual care & telehealth, personalized & precision medicine, robotics & wearable tech, and enhanced education & simulation—have been described as the “future of innovation” for years now.

What intrigued me most from the list, however, was the focus on leadership, which should resonate with all the nurses who are innovating because leadership is the foundation for our work. Nurse leaders are instrumental in driving innovation within their institutions and our practices; innovation can’t happen without a strong foundation of nursing leadership.

And that’s when it hit me, the future of innovation in nursing is… you! All of you, the nurses the world over who are innovating.

What makes a nurse leader?

As ChatGPT told us, though, it’s the leadership component that’s the future of innovation in nursing. The American Nurses Association (ANA) states that a nurse leader is defined by their actions and not by a position of authority. This definition highlights that anyone can serve as a leader and that you don’t need a title or permission to lead. As nurses and innovators, we know this first-hand. You lead through your innovative actions every day.

So then, what makes someone an innovative nurse leader? What I think differentiates nurse leaders with an innovative mindset from those without is the ability to be brave.

Recently, I read the book How We Learn to Be Brave by Bishop Marianne Edgar Budde. In the book, Bishop Budde explores “how pivotal moments in life — such as deciding to act, stay, or step up — serve as opportunities to cultivate courage — and illustrates that bravery is a continuous journey, not a singular event.” Interestingly, and what really made this book resonate with me, was the section devoted to the Diffusion of Innovation theory. It resonated with me because I had just spent 5 long, hard years working on my dissertation based on this theory.

Diffusion of Innovation theory

As discussed by E.M. Rogers, the Diffusion of Innovation theory describes how quickly people come to accept and diffuse new ideas and why. The theory, based on a normal bell curve, lays out different adopter categories: Innovators, Early Adopters, Early Majority, Late Majority, and Laggards. Based on that normal bell curve, each category has a percentage of people who are “normally” found there and includes associated characteristics that describe those individuals.

Bishop Budde used the Diffusion of Innovation theory as a way to quantify bravery in leadership. For my dissertation, I used the theory to quantify the innovativeness of nurses engaging in innovative behaviors.

As part of my dissertation, I surveyed nurses who were engaging in innovative behaviors such as hackathons, design thinking workshops, and innovation conferences. I matched their innovativeness scores with the Diffusion of Innovation theory adopter categories and compared our population of nurses with the theory’s general population.

We found that our population of nurses matched very closely with Innovators and Early Majority, but we saw a big difference with the Early Adopters. This was a really interesting finding and confirmed that we don’t need every nurse to be an innovator — what we need are nurse leaders who have not only bought into the power of innovation but who support nurses who are innovating and who are brave enough to take their new ideas and push them forward.

Building an innovation culture

So, what does this all mean for the future of innovation in nursing? It means we need innovative nurse leaders brave enough to build a culture of innovation at their institutions and within the organizations they lead.

We need nurse leaders who encourage curiosity and learning within their nurses, who empower and advocate for nurse-led innovation, and who create a safe space for this type of experimentation and collaboration. This includes giving nurses time away from clinical responsibilities to work on innovation projects, as well as mentorship, education, and resources to innovate. These seem straightforward, but as many nurses know, that’s not always the case. But here’s why having a strong foundation of innovative nursing leadership is so important.

For aim 2 of my dissertation, I quantified the individual and organizational characteristics that support nurses engaging in innovative behaviors. We found that respondents who had exposure to, attendance at, and institutional offerings of innovation activities had higher innovativeness scores. In addition, we found that nurses who had increased opportunities to be creative and innovative and who felt supported by their nurse leaders and institutions were more willing to innovate. We determined that the factors that make a nurse more or less innovative have to do not only with the individuals themselves but, maybe more importantly, the culture of innovation at their organizations — and from their nursing leadership.

So, if the future of innovation in nursing is all of you—and you’re all nurse leaders because of your actions and how you inspire and influence others—then, what’s the intersection of innovation and leadership? It all comes back to bravery — learning how to be brave.

Just like innovation, bravery is a skill that can be honed through continual practice. The more chances we take to be brave, the more adept we will be. You all know this. It’s what you do every day—the transformational shifts in healthcare start with nurses being brave — and the small acts of bravery and innovation that you push forward to bring about significant changes.

Importantly, brave, innovative leadership requires moral courage — speaking up and supporting change even when it’s uncomfortable. And it will be uncomfortable at times.

Calls to action

With all of that in mind, here are some calls to action.

Be brave. Innovating and leading  aren’t easy. They frequently feel isolating and overwhelming, but you’re not alone.

Step up when called upon. As Bishop Budde said, “Be the one who leans in and does the right thing when it matters most.” The health of our patients, communities, and professions needs you.

Be ok with failure.  Failure is a part of the innovation process and a part of authentic leadership. Being a leader means acknowledging failures, learning from them, and being brave enough to keep moving forward.

As the Diffusion of Innovation theory shows us, we’ll always encounter Laggards who resist new and innovative solutions. Move forward anyway.

We’re in such unchartered times right now, and having a strong, brave, innovative community of nurses and nurse leaders will prove critical to keeping ourselves, our patients, our students, and our communities healthy and safe. The future of innovation in nursing depends on you.

This article is adapted from a talk Dr. Marion Leary gave at the 2025 SONSIEL THInC Conference in Philadelphia. Sections of the talk were developed with the help of ChatGPT. You can watch Dr. Leary’s full presentation from the 2025 THInC conference at youtu.be/gj50VoDpoiY

References

Budde ME. How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith. New Hyde Park, NY: Avery; 2023.

 Leary M. Examining the characteristics that support nurses’ innovative behaviors. [dissertation]. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania; 2023.

 Leary M, Demiris G, Brooks Carthon JM, Cacchione PZ, Aryal S, Bauermeister JA. Determining the Innovativeness of Nurses Who Engage in Activities That Encourage Innovative Behaviors. Nurs Rep. 2024 Apr 3;14(2):849-870.

 Leary M, Demiris G, Brooks Carthon JM, Cacchione PZ, Aryal S, Bauermeister JA. Creating a phenotype and taxonomy of nurses engaging in innovative behaviors. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. 2025;30(1):2.

Rogers EM. Diffusion of Innovations (5th ed.). New York City, NY: Free Press; 2003.