Authentic leadership and job satisfaction among long-term care nurses
ISSN: 1751-1879
Article publication date: 5 June 2020
Issue publication date: 15 July 2020
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of managers’ authentic leadership, person–job match in the six areas of worklife (AWLs) and emotional exhaustion on long-term care registered nurses’ job satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
A secondary analysis of baseline data from a national survey of 1,410 Canadian registered nurses from various work settings was used in this study, which yielded a subsample of 78 nurses working in direct care roles in long-term care settings. Hayes’ PROCESS macro for mediation analysis in SPSS was used to test the hypothesized model.
Findings
Findings showed that authentic leadership significantly predicted job satisfaction directly and indirectly through AWLs and emotional exhaustion.
Practical implications
Authentic leadership may provide guidance to long-term care managers about promoting nurses’ job satisfaction, which is essential to recruiting and retaining nurses to meet the care needs of an aging population.
Originality/value
As demand for care of the aged is increasing and creating challenges to ensuring a sufficient and sustainable nursing workforce, it is important to understand factors that promote long-term care nurses’ job satisfaction. Findings contribute to knowledge of long-term care nurses by suggesting that managers’ authentic leadership can positively affect nurses’ job satisfaction directly and indirectly through positive perceptions of AWLs and lower emotional exhaustion.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors graciously acknowledge the substantial contributions of late Dr Heather K. Spence Laschinger to this paper.
Note: Dr Heather K. Spence Laschinger was the PI for the primary study from which data were obtained.
Funding: The original study was funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research Partnerships for Health Systems Improvement (#122182) with contributions from the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation (#139405), the Niagara Health System, Health Canada, Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions, St. Michael’s Hospital (Toronto, Ontario), VON Canada, Providence Care, Capital Health (Nova Scotia), Fraser Health (British Columbia), Victoria General Hospital (Winnipeg, Manitoba), London Health Sciences Centre (London, Ontario), Health Force Ontario and the McGill University Health Centre.
Citation
Wong, C., Walsh, E.J., Basacco, K.N., Mendes Domingues, M.C. and Pye, D.R.H. (2020), "Authentic leadership and job satisfaction among long-term care nurses", Leadership in Health Services, Vol. 33 No. 3, pp. 247-263. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHS-09-2019-0056
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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