Abstract
BACKGROUND: Healthcare literature suggests that leadership behavior has a profound impact on nurse work-related well-being. Yet, more research is needed to better conceptualize, measure, and analyse the concepts of leadership and well-being, and to understand the psychological mechanisms underlying this association. Combining Self-Determination and Job Demands-Resources theory, this study aims to investigate the association between engaging leadership and burnout and work engagement among nurses by focusing on two explanatory mechanisms: perceived job characteristics (job demands and resources) and intrinsic motivation.
METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 1117 direct care nurses (response rate = 25%) from 13 general acute care hospitals in Belgium. Validated instruments were used to measure nurses' perceptions of engaging leadership, burnout, work engagement, intrinsic motivation and job demands and job resources. Structural equation modeling was performed to test the hypothesised model which assumed a serial mediation of job characteristics and intrinsic motivation in the relationship of engaging leadership with nurse work-related well-being.
RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fit of the measurement model. The findings offer support for the hypothesized model, indicating that engaging leadership is linked to enhanced well-being, as reflected in increased work engagement, and reduced burnout. The results further showed that this association is mediated by nurses' perceptions of job resources and intrinsic motivation. Notably, while job demands mediated the relationship between EL and nurses' well-being, the relationship became unsignificant when including intrinsic motivation as second mediator.
CONCLUSIONS: Engaging leaders foster a favourable work environment for nursing staff which is not only beneficial for their work motivation but also for their work-related well-being. Engaging leadership and job resources are modifiable aspects of healthcare organisations. Interventions aimed at developing engaging leadership behaviours among nursing leaders and building job resources will help healthcare organisations to create favourable working conditions for their nurses.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study described herein is funded under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme from 2020 to 2023 (Grant Agreement 848031). The protocol of Magnet4Europe is registered in the ISRCTN registry (ISRCTN10196901).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 8 |
| Journal | Human Resources for Health |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 15 Jan 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2024, The Author(s).
Funding
The Magnet4Europe Consortium consists of Walter Sermeus (director), Luk Bruyneel, Hans De Witte, Wilmar B. Schaufeli, Simon Dello, Dorothea Kohnen (Belgium, Catholic University Leuven); Linda Aiken (codirector), Matthew McHugh, Colleen A. Pogue, Mary DelGuidice, Herbert Smith, Timothy Cheney, Douglas Sloane (USA, University of Pennsylvania); Reinhard Busse, Claudia Maier, Julia Köppen, Joan Kleine (Germany, Technical University Berlin); Jonathan Drennan (Ireland, University College Dublin); Vera McCarthy, Elaine Lehane, Noeleen Brady, Anne Scott (Ireland, University College Cork); Ingeborg Strømseng Sjetne (Norway, Norwegian Institute of Public Health); Anners Lerdal (Norway, Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital); Lars E. Eriksson, Rikard Lindqvist, Lisa Smeds Alenius, Ingrid Svensson, Ann Jacobsson (Sweden, Karolinska Institute); Jane Ball, Peter Griffiths, Jackie Bridges, Sydney Anstee, Jaimie Ellis (England, University of Southampton); Anne Marie Rafferty (England, King’s College London); Martin McKee (England, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine); Paul Van Aken, Danny Van Heusden, Kaat Siebens, Peter Van Bogaert (Belgium, University Hospital Antwerp), Oliver Sergeant (Meplis NV). This study is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the project Magnet4Europe: Improving Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Health Care Workplace (Grant Agreement Number 848031). The investigation presented here is the responsibility of the authors only. The EU Commission takes no responsibility for any use made of the information set out.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Anners Lerdal | |
| Catholic University Leuven | |
| Ingeborg Strømseng Sjetne | |
| Jonathan Drennan | |
| King's College London | |
| Horizon 2020 Framework Programme | 848031 |
| Horizon 2020 Framework Programme | |
| University of Southampton | |
| University College Cork | |
| Universitair Ziekenhuis Antwerpen |
Keywords
- Burnout, Professional/psychology
- Cross-Sectional Studies
- Humans
- Job Satisfaction
- Leadership
- Motivation
- Surveys and Questionnaires
- Working Conditions