The role of ethical leadership and social networks in the promotion of workplace happiness and quality of care: A cross-sectional study.

Abstract

This study examines the sequential effects of perceived ethical leaders and the strength of social networks among healthcare professionals on the perceived workplace happiness of healthcare professionals and its impacts on the quality of provided care. We conduct a partial least squares (PLS) analysis to estimate the relationship between the variables. Data comes from a survey conducted to 321 healthcare professionals with primary/direct contact with patients working at Portuguese hospitals. We use previously validated scales in the literature for measuring the variables; ethical leadership, social network in the context of the workplace; satisfaction, engagement, and commitment as proxies of workplace happiness, and, quality of care provided to patients (the outcome of the research model). Results show that ethical leadership positively influences social networks, workplace happiness, and quality of provided care. Social networks also have a positive relationship with workplace happiness and quality of provided care. Additionally, the workplace happiness of healthcare professionals positively influences the quality of provided care to patients. Our work addresses a diverse research gap regarding hospitals' ethical and social environment and hospital performance. Specifically, the empirical operationalisation of ethical leadership fights a literature gap in healthcare management. Moreover, we report evidence on the influence of antecedents, but also the performance consequences, of workplace happiness in healthcare environments. Our findings contribute to the literature while providing managerial implications for healthcare settings.