Nurses' and nurse managers' perceived transformational leadership behavioural practices: a survey

Area of Science:

• Nursing Leadership
• Organizational Behavior
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Transformational leadership is recognized for its effectiveness in driving organizational change.
• Understanding leadership perceptions among nursing staff is vital for improving healthcare environments.
• Charge nurses play a key role in guiding teams towards shared objectives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the perceived transformational leadership practices between charge nurses and staff nurses.
• To investigate how leadership styles differ across various healthcare settings in Malta.
• To provide insights into enhancing nursing leadership effectiveness.

Main Methods:

• A quantitative, descriptive, comparative survey design was employed.
• Data were collected from 151 charge nurses and 1,950 staff nurses across six health entities in Malta.
• The Leadership Practices Inventory was used, with data analyzed via ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests.

Main Results:

• A 15% response rate (n=315) was achieved, with both nurse groups perceiving transformational leadership.
• Charge nurses consistently scored higher than staff nurses in transformational leadership practices.
• Context-specific leadership behaviors were observed: 'model the way' in long-term care and 'enable others to act' in acute settings.

Conclusions:

• Transformational leadership is evident among charge nurses in Malta.
• The study highlights the need for nurse managers to tailor their leadership approach to the specific work environment.
• Low response rates may impact the generalizability of findings, suggesting a need for further research with broader participation.