Examining the Relationship Between Digital Leadership and Leadership Behaviors of Nurse Managers

The relationship between nurse managers' leadership behaviors and digital leadership remains insufficiently understood.

This study aimed to examine the relationship between nurse managers' employee-, task-, and change-oriented leadership behaviors as perceived by nurses and their perceived overall digital leadership.

This descriptive cross-sectional study included 231 nurses working in three public hospitals. Data were collected using the Leadership Behavior Scale and the Digital Leadership Scale. Descriptive and comparative analyses, Pearson correlation analysis, and bivariate simple linear regression were performed.

Task-oriented leadership received the highest mean score, whereas change-oriented leadership received the lowest. Overall digital leadership was positively correlated with all leadership behavior dimensions, with the strongest association observed for change-oriented leadership (r = 0.697, p < 0.001). In the bivariate regression analysis, change-oriented leadership was positively associated with overall digital leadership and accounted for 48.6% of its variance (R² = 0.486, p < 0.001). Overall digital leadership did not differ significantly according to the demographic and work-related characteristics examined.

Although task-oriented leadership received the highest mean score, change-oriented leadership showed the strongest association with overall digital leadership. These findings highlight the relevance of change-oriented leadership in digitally transforming healthcare environments; however, the observed association should not be interpreted as causal or as an independent effect over other leadership dimensions.

The findings highlight the importance of integrating digital competencies with change-oriented leadership development in nursing management education and continuing professional development. Supporting nurse managers in developing digital competencies alongside their capacity to guide organizational change may strengthen leadership readiness for increasingly technology-enabled healthcare environments.