Transformational Leadership, Creative Self-Efficacy, Trust in Supervisor, Uncertainty Avoidance, and Innovative Work Behavior of Nurses

Abstract

This study examines how nurse managers’ transformational leadership relates to innovative work behavior of subordinate nurses through creative self-efficacy, trust in supervisor, and uncertainty avoidance. On the basis of an interactional approach, this study hypothesized that (a) there is an interaction between transformational leadership, trust in supervisor, and uncertainty avoidance that affects innovative work behavior, such that transformational leadership has the strongest positive relationship with innovative work behavior when nurses have high levels of trust and uncertainty avoidance; and (b) creative self-efficacy mediates the effect that this three-way interaction between transformational leadership, trust in supervisor, and uncertainty avoidance has on innovative work behavior. In Study 1, we used a time-lagged research design, collecting multisource data from 322 nurses and their respective head nurses (supervisors), working in public sector hospitals. The results of Study 1 supported our hypotheses. In Study 2, we used a more temporally rigorous research design in which data were collected in three stages, with a 3-month time interval separating Stages 1 and 2, and Stages 2 and 3. On the basis of the time-lagged and multisource data from 371 nurses and their respective head nurses (supervisors), from private sector hospitals, we found that Study 2 produced the same results as Study 1.