Motivation to Lead: A Study of the Supportive Nursing Leadership Environment

With projected nursing shortages, an aging workforce, and the imminent retirement of nurse leaders, nursing leadership shortages are a concern. While several studies have indicated the interest of nurses in pursuing leadership positions, limited research has focused on examining the influence of the leadership practice environment on nurses' motivation to lead.

The aims of the study were to (1) assess the relationship between the leadership environment and the motivation of nurses to lead and (2) determine whether there are particular aspects of the leadership environment that influence motivation to lead.

A cross-sectional research design was used to collect data from 435 nurses working in 16 public and private hospitals in Oman. Leadership Environment Scale and Motivation to Lead Scale were used to assess participants' perceived leadership environment and their motivation to engage in formal leadership roles, respectively. Multivariate linear regression was used to assess the relationship between the perceived leadership environment and the motivation of nurses to undertake leadership roles. Findings. Nurses reported a mean scale value of 3.208 out of 5 (SD = 0.467) for their motivation to lead, which exceeds the midpoint, indicating a strong motivation to engage in formal leadership roles. Nurses reported a mean score of 3.194 out of 4 (SD = 0.661), which exceeds the midpoint, suggesting a favorable perception of leadership environment. The findings showed a significant relationship between the leadership environment and nurses' motivation to lead. Specifically, self-organization (β = 0.185, p=0.001, CI = 0.086-0.378), agents (β = 0.221, p=0.002, CI = 0.124-0.474), and transformative exchange (β = 0.100, p=0.037, CI = 0.101-0.142) were characteristics of the leadership environment that were associated with greater motivation to engage in leadership.

This study emphasizes the importance of cultivating a supportive leadership environment as a potential strategy to attract nurses to assume formal nursing leadership roles. Implications for Nursing Management. Strategies to improve nurses' motivation to lead in a complex healthcare environment include improving nurses' active involvement in their organization, creating a collegial supportive and mentoring leadership culture, and improving transformative exchange by supporting career and educational advancement.