Abstract
To investigate how distributed leadership via the Shared Governance programme influences employee engagement, empowerment, job satisfaction and turnover intentions among direct care nursing staff in a large UK hospital. Increasing turnover rates and shortages of health care staff in the UK has called for interventions to improve employee engagement and job satisfaction. 116 direct care nursing staff were sampled in a mixed-methods explanatory sequential design. A maximum variance sample of 15 participants were subsequently interviewed to gain a deeper understanding of the motivations and attitudes that influenced employee outcomes through distributed leadership. Higher levels of distributed leadership predicted increased employee engagement and job satisfaction, and lower turnover intentions. Staff also felt more empowered and committed to the organisation despite some challenges experienced in implementing the Shared Governance programme. Distributed leadership was found to be beneficial in promoting employee engagement and empowerment, increasing job satisfaction and organisational commitment and reducing turnover intention in the UK health care setting. By encouraging the practice of distributed leadership at work, health care staff can become more engaged and empowered, leading to higher rates of job retention, job satisfaction and organisational commitment.
Highlights
Research shows that low job satisfaction and poor employee engagement are among the most frequently reported causes of high turnover in the UK health care context (Alarcon & Edwards, 2011; Collini et al, 2015; Fasbender et al, 2019)
Within the UK health care context, distributed leadership is demonstrated through Shared Governance (SG), which is a form of structural empowerment where nurses are given greater autonomy and control in their practice to facilitate organisational change and improve patient outcomes (French-Bravo & Crow, 2015)
Quantitative results suggest that distributed leadership through SG significantly increased employee engagement and job satisfaction and significantly decreased staff's turnover intentions
Summary
Research shows that low job satisfaction and poor employee engagement are among the most frequently reported causes of high turnover in the UK health care context (Alarcon & Edwards, 2011; Collini et al, 2015; Fasbender et al, 2019). Researchers have yet to agree on the constituents of distributed leadership, this paper adopts Tashi's (2015) definition of distribution leadership as a shared decision-making framework or practice applied by various staff members across multiple organisational levels. This differs from other types of leadership where it emphasizes leadership as a practice that focuses on influence and agency through interpersonal interactions rather than formal roles, responsibilities and actions (Harris & DeFlaminis, 2016). Within the UK health care context, distributed leadership is demonstrated through SG, which is a form of structural empowerment where nurses are given greater autonomy and control in their practice to facilitate organisational change and improve patient outcomes (French-Bravo & Crow, 2015)
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