Despite the importance of nurse administrators to a nation's hospitals and health service, there are few systematic studies analyzing the environmental context of nursing administration and how nurses function to improve the quality of care, control costs and maintain morale. To rectify this situation--which is as true for Norway as for most nations of the world--an in-depth study was conducted of chief nurses in Norwegian hospitals. The aim was to improve understanding of 1) what nursing administration is like, 2) the demands made of nurse administrators in a variety of organizational and geographical contexts, and 3) the skills that are needed to be successful. Below, a report of the study.