Impact of practice leadership management style on staff experience in services for people with intellectual disability and challenging behaviour: A further examination and partial replication

Abstract

Background and aims: Practice leadership (PL) style of frontline management has been shown to be associated with better experiences for staff working with people who may exhibit challenging behaviours (Deveau & McGill, 2014). This study aimed to examine additional staff experience factors with a different, larger sample and to partially replicate the findings of (Deveau & McGill, 2014).

Methods: This study was a survey of staff self-reported data collected as part of a larger study. Information was collected on PL and staff experiences of: stress, turnover, job satisfaction and positive work experiences.

Results and conclusions: The results broadly supported Deveau and McGill (2014) and demonstrated an association between PL and greater job satisfaction and positive experiences for staff. Results on staff turnover were inconsistent. The positive impact of PL on staff experience was further supported by this study. Suggestions are made for further research.

Implications: These findings suggest further research is needed to examine the potential of interventions in frontline management/leadership practice to improve staff experience of working in challenging environments.

Keywords: Challenging behaviour; Intellectual disabilities; Leadership; Management; Staff stress.