An empirical analysis of nurse manager leadership practices and staff nurse job satisfaction

Staff nurse job dissatisfaction is a key factor exacerbating the current nursing shortage. A review of the literature suggested a relationship exists between job satisfaction and leadership practices which include: being visible, aligning behaviors with organizational values, and engaging in communication that is relational and task oriented. Few empirical studies conducted in the critical care environment have examined this relationship. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to empirically reconfirm the relationship between the aforementioned leadership practices and job satisfaction within the critical care environment. This study included a purposive sample of 722 registered nurses from a hospital in California where nurse managers have implemented the evidence-based leadership model. This model, which included the aforementioned leadership practices served as the theoretical foundation for this study. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was used to investigate the relationship between staff nurse job satisfaction and leadership practices. Hypotheses were tested using a Spearman rank order correlation. Findings revealed a statistically significant, strong, positive correlation between job satisfaction and leadership practices within the critical care environment. These findings should help leaders understand that leadership behavior in critical care environments can contribute to staff nurse job satisfaction and thereby mitigate both high nurse turnover and the nursing shortage. Additionally, an increase in staff nurse job satisfaction might also result in fewer nurses leaving the profession and, possibly, better patient care. A recommendation is made to train nurse managers to utilize these leadership practices.