Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore the assertiveness process in Iranian nursing leaders. A qualitative
design based on the grounded theory approach was used to collect and analyze the assertiveness experiences
of 12 nurse managers working in four hospitals in Iran. Purposeful and theoretical sampling methods were
employed for the data collection and selection of the participants, and semistructured interviews were held.
During the data analysis, 17 categories emerged and these were categorized into three themes: “task generation”,
“assertiveness behavior”, and “executive agents”. From the participants’ experiences, assertiveness
theory emerged as being fundamental to the development of a schematic model describing nursing leadership
behaviors. From another aspect, religious beliefs also played a fundamental role in Iranian nursing leadership
assertiveness. It was concluded that bringing a change in the current support from top managers and improving
self-learning are required in order to enhance the assertiveness of the nursing leaders in Iran.nhs_451 120..127
Key words assertiveness, grounded theory, nurse leader, religious beliefs, tasks.