Servant Leadership and Nurses' Innovative Work Behavior: The Serial Mediation Role of Trust-In Leadership and...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Organizational Psychology
• Nursing Innovation

Background:

• Nurses' innovative work behaviors (IWBs) are crucial for enhancing patient care quality.
• Limited research exists on leadership styles, particularly servant leadership (SL), influencing nursing innovation.
• This study addresses the gap by examining SL's role in fostering IWB among Pakistani nurses, considering trust-in-leadership (TL) and knowledge sharing (KS).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between servant leadership (SL) and innovative work behavior (IWB) in Pakistani nurses.
• To test a serial mediation model where trust-in-leadership (TL) and knowledge sharing (KS) mediate the SL-IWB relationship.
• To provide empirical evidence on how SL influences nursing innovation through trust and knowledge sharing.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative, cross-sectional study with 269 nurses in Pakistan.
• Time-lagged data collection to mitigate common method bias.
• Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) used for hypothesis testing.

Main Results:

• Servant leadership (SL) significantly and positively influences nurses' innovative work behavior (IWB).
• Trust-in-leadership (TL) and knowledge sharing (KS) were confirmed as significant serial mediators in the SL-IWB relationship.
• SL enhances IWB indirectly by fostering trust, which subsequently promotes knowledge sharing.

Conclusions:

• Servant leadership is a key driver of innovative work behavior in nursing.
• Building trust and encouraging knowledge sharing are critical mechanisms through which SL enhances nursing innovation.
• Findings offer practical strategies for nurse managers to cultivate innovation and improve healthcare outcomes.