Aim: to explore the nature of leadership styles used by the nursing management team, as perceived by nurses working at the bedside.
Background: leadership style is related to job satisfaction, staff retention, costs, and quality of care. The leadership styles of managers can be crucial in the healthcare setting, but very few studies have focused on them.
Method: the study employed qualitative methodology, involving 35 nurses working in different specialties of a medical city in Saudi Arabia. Data collection consisted of completing demographic and professional information and a semi-structured interview using open-ended questions.
Analysis: a phenomenologic-hermeneutic approach was used to identify major themes.
Results: the findings showed that participants described four types of leadership styles: relational leadership, preferential leadership, communication chain leadership, and ineffectual leadership.
Conclusion: the leadership style employed by nurse managers has a major impact on nurses' satisfaction, turnover, and the quality of patient care they deliver.
Keywords: Expatriate nurses; Job satisfaction; Leadership styles; Nursing turnover; Saudi Arabia.