Associations between transactional leadership and safety climate among 314 Pakistani nurses during COVID-19 pandemic: moderating roles of transformational leadership

Abstract

AIM: This study examines the effect of transactional leadership on safety climate via employee well-being and transformational leadership among nurses during COVID-19 pandemic. BACKGROUND: Exploration of the safety climate among nurses in COVID-19 pandemic has received little attention, but is of acute importance because of their potential effects on safety outcomes. METHODS: The data used for the study are obtained from self-reported surveys, originally collected by the 314 Pakistani nurses during COVID-19. Analysis of variance is used to identify the confounding variables of transactional leadership, transformational leadership and safety climate. Hierarchical linear regressions are used to explore moderating effects of transformational leadership on transactional leadership → employee well-being and effects of transformational leadership on employee well-being → safety climate. Based on social learning theory and social exchange theory, several hypotheses are established. RESULTS: 2-factor structures have been found among transformational leadership (motivational leadership, inspirational leadership), transactional leadership (active leadership, contingent leadership), and safety climate (compliance with safety rules, occasional deviations), respectively. Analysis of variance indicates socioeconomic factors are related with transformational leadership, transactional leadership, employee well-being, and safety climate. Hierarchical linear regression shows that motivational leadership significantly moderate the relationship between contingent leadership and employee well-being (β=.161; _p_=0.19) when controlling for a variety of individual characteristics. There are negative significant Inspirational leadership×employee well-being for compliance with safety rules (β= -.299,_ p_ < .001) and positive significant motivational leadership×employee well-being for occasional deviations (β= .091, p = .047) when controlling for a variety of individual characteristics. Significant relationships between contingent leadership and compliance with safety rules (β=.152, p =.032), between active leadership and occasional deviations (β=.349, p < .001), between contingent leadership and occasional deviations (β=.422, p < .001) are found. CONCLUSIONS: This study identifies moderating mechanism of transformational leadership on the association between transactional leadership and employee well-being and between transactional leadership and safety climate. These findings highlight the importance of employee well-being in the relationship between transactional leadership and safety behaviors among nurses. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: To increase staff nurses' safety climate, we suggest that nurse managers contingent leadership styles and employee well-being could be improved. The nurse managers should consider their leadership style from the point of view of employee well-being. Nurse managers must address contingent leadership that affect employee well-being because this has an impact on safety climate.