Despotic Leadership and Thriving at Work Among Nurses in a Saudi Tertiary Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study

Despotic leadership is characterized by controlling, self-serving, and unethical leadership behaviors, whereas thriving at work reflects positive work-related well-being and professional functioning. However, empirical evidence on the relationship between perceived despotic leadership and nurses' thriving at work in Saudi tertiary healthcare settings remains limited.

To examine the association between perceived despotic leadership and thriving at work among registered nurses in a Saudi tertiary hospital.

We conducted a quantitative, cross-sectional correlational study at King Fahd Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, using a convenience sample of 181 registered nurses with at least 12 months of experience in the organization. Data were collected using a demographic and professional information form, the 6-item Despotic Leadership Scale, and the 30-item long form of the Thriving from Work Questionnaire. We used descriptive statistics, independent-samples t tests, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation, item-level correlations, and multivariable linear regression for analysis.

Nurses reported moderate levels of perceived despotic leadership (mean = 3.19 ± 1.21) and thriving at work (mean = 3.29 ± 1.05). Perceived despotic leadership was significantly and negatively associated with thriving at work (r = -0.323, 95% CI [-0.448, -0.186], p < 0.001). In the adjusted analysis, perceived despotic leadership remained significantly associated with lower thriving at work (B = -0.321, SE = 0.061, β = -0.371, 95% CI [-0.441, -0.201], p < 0.001).

Higher perceived despotic leadership was associated with lower thriving at work among registered nurses. Because the study was cross-sectional, causal inferences cannot be made. The findings support organizational efforts to strengthen ethical, supportive, and participatory leadership practices and warrant longitudinal research to clarify the direction of this relationship.