The impact of leadership styles on nurses' satisfaction and intention to stay among Saudi nurses

• Published in: Journal of nursing management Vol. 20; no. 5; pp. 668 - 678
• Main Authors: ABUALRUB, RAEDA F., ALGHAMDI, MOHAMMED G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.07.2012; Hindawi Limited
• Subjects: Adult; Female; Health Care Surveys; hospital nurses; Humans; intention to stay; Job Satisfaction; Leadership; leadership styles; Male; Middle Aged; Nurses - psychology; Nursing; Nursing - manpower; Personnel Turnover; Psychometrics; Saudi Arabia; Statistics as Topic; Young Adult; Saudi Arabia
• ISSN: 0966-0429; 1365-2834
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2834.2011.01320.x

abualrub r.f. & alghamdi m.g. (2012) Journal of Nursing Management 20, 668–678 The impact of leadership styles on nurses’ satisfaction and intention to stay among Saudi nurses Aim  To examine the impact of leadership styles of nurse managers on Saudi nurses’ job satisfaction and their intent to stay at work. Background  Increasing nurses’ satisfaction is one of the key elements in meeting challenges of quality outcomes, patient satisfaction and retention of staff nurses in hospitals. Methods  This study used a descriptive correlational design. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ‐5X), Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), the McCain’s Intent to Stay Scale and a demographic form were used to collect the data from a convenience sample of 308 Saudi nurses. Results  Saudi nurses were moderately satisfied in their jobs. In addition, nurses were more satisfied with leaders who demonstrated transformational leadership styles, and those who were more satisfied with their jobs intended to say at work. The background variables, the transformational leadership style and the transactional style explained 32% of the variation in job satisfaction. Conclusions  The results of the study emphasized the importance of transformational leadership, which indicates the need for further attention to training and development of effective leadership behaviours. Implications for nursing management  Nurse administrators in Saudi Arabia should capitalize on the importance of transformational leadership style in enhancing the level of job satisfaction.