Nurses' Perception of Leadership Practices and the Factors Influencing These Practices of Their Managers

Leadership is a multifaceted process that inspires individuals to take action while providing the necessary support and motivation to achieve collaboratively set goals. Ineffective leadership among nurse managers has contributed to low morale, increased staff turnover, shortages, and rising healthcare costs.

This research aimed to assess nurses' perceptions of leadership practices and the factors influencing these practices of their managers.

A cross-sectional study was carried out at a facility involving 422 nurses, who provided data through a structured self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, as well as bivariate and multivariable linear regression analyses, were used to determine the factors associated with nurses' views on their managers' leadership practice. Variables with p-values less than .05 were considered statistically significant.

Out of 422 respondents targeted, 403 completed the survey, yielding a response rate of 95.5%. The results showed that 125 nurses (31%) had a low perception, 164 (40.7%) had a moderate perception, and 114 (28.3%) had a high perception of their managers' leadership styles. Factors influencing nurses' perceptions included the lack of leadership training (β = -5.47, 95% CI: -8.548, -2.395), organizational commitment (β = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.361, 0.684), innovative work behavior (β = 1.1, 95% CI: 0.918, 1.250), and job-related stress (β = -0.13, 95% CI: -0.222, -0.039).

Less than one-third of nurses view high perception toward their managers' leadership practice. Key factors associated with these perceptions include a lack of leadership training, levels of organizational commitment, innovative work behavior, and job-related stress. It is suggested that future research employ mixed methods to better understand nurses' perspectives on their managers' leadership practice.