Leadership style of nurse managers as perceived by registered nurses: A cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Given rapid changes in the health care landscape, nurse leaders need to be equipped with effective leadership skills. Those who are aware of their styles of working and its impact on their employees could adopt a better leadership style. The study aim was to assess the leadership styles of nurse leaders, as perceived by their employees. The secondary objectives were to explore differences between self-ratings and others’ ratings of leadership styles, as well as correlation between perceived leadership styles and organisational outcomes. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among registered nurses from four inpatient wards in an acute tertiary hospital in Singapore. Respondents were asked to complete a questionnaire that consisted of demographic questions, the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire, as well as a Three-index item Questionnaire, to elicit turnover intention. A total of 111 completed surveys (37% response) were received. Overall, registered nurses reported that their nurse leaders exhibited both transformational and transactional leadership behaviours and, to a lesser extent, laissez-faire. Of interest was the finding that nurse leaders in this study tend to rate themselves higher than others rate them. The results implied a need to incorporate self-awareness elements in nursing leadership development programmes.