| Learning Objective #1: Describe, compare, and explore the nurse managers' perceptions of their leadership styles versus RN staff members' perceptions of the nurse manager' leadership style. | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Ascertain if leadership effectiveness and leadership flexibility on nurse managers are predictive of job satisfaction. |
ABSTRACT The nursing profession is changing rapidly due to changes in healthcare such as: shifting social values, downsizing, and federal regulations. Most nurse managers are ill prepared for changes associated with their role today. Effective nursing leadership is essential to meet the challenges that these complex changes present to the healthcare profession. This descriptive, comparative, study was conducted to compare perceptions of leadership style of nurse managers as perceived by the nurse managers and their RN staff using Hersey and Blanchard’s (1991) Situational Leadership Model. A convenience sample of 11 nurse managers and 79 Registered Nurse staff from one hospital setting was used to compare perceptions of nurse managers’ leadership styles. A second purpose of the study was to determine RN staff perceptions of leadership style effectiveness and leadership flexibility of their nurse managers were predictive of job satisfaction using Stamps (1997) Index of Work Satisfaction. Nnurse manager respondents were female, average age of thirty-one. Majority had a master’s degree in nursing, had between 6-10 years of experience in their position and in their assigned unit for more than five years. Majority of the RN staff were female, average age of RN staff was 36,had a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing and worked in their unit for 1-5 years. RN staff perceived the leadership style effectiveness of the nurse manage as being significantly less effective than did the nurse managers. The leadership effectiveness styles of nurse managers as perceived by RN staff were predictive of two components of job satisfaction: nurse-nurse interaction and total interaction. Comparing perceptions of the nurse managers’ with those of RN staff will help nurse managers identify areas that may improve their leadership ability in various situations.
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See more of The 17th International Nursing Research Congress Focusing on Evidence-Based Practice (19-22 July 2006)