Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate emotional exhaustion, work engagement, and turnover intention in the nursing profession by exploring the antecedent effects of ethical leadership and job components such as decision authority.
Background: Emotional exhaustion, low work engagement, and high turnover intention are prevalent issues in the nursing profession. The experience of feeling overworked has led to feelings of burnout and low morale among nurses in Ireland, which has prompted the authors to identify potential variables that reduce these outcomes-in this case, ethical leadership and decision authority.
Design: A descriptive, cross-sectional survey design was used across three hospital sites.
Methods: A cross-sectional sample of 89 nurses was recruited from three Irish hospitals to capture the experience of nurses between December 2017 - February 2018. Hypotheses were tested using path model analysis.
Results: Ethical leadership positively predicted decision authority among nurses. Ethical leadership also had an indirect effect on all three outcome variables (work engagement, exhaustion, and turnover intention). Further effects were noted in relation to the mediators in relation to the three outcome variables. Decision authority had a positive effect on work engagement and related to lower turnover intention.
Conclusions: The present study demonstrated the role of ethical leadership as a mechanism to positively affect job control and work experience outcomes for nurses at work. Ethical leadership style in hospitals and providing nurses with the authority to make decisions can improve their work experience and help to engage, support, and retain nurses.
Impact: The study found support for the positive role of ethical leadership in relation to decision authority and as a positive predictor of work engagement, negative predictor of emotional exhaustion, and turnover intention among nurses.
目标: 本研究旨在探讨道德领导与决策权等工作因素对护士职业的精疲力竭、工作投入与离职倾向的影响。 背景: 精疲力竭、工作投入低、离职倾向高是护理行业普遍存在的问题。在爱尔兰,工作中过度劳累的感受导致护士对职业产生倦怠感,士气低落,促使作者找出降低这种结果的潜在变量--在本例中所指道德领导和决策权。 设计: 在三个医院使用描述性横断面调查设计。 方法: 从三家爱尔兰医院招募了89名护士作为横断面样本,以收集2017年12月至2018年2月期间护士的工作感受。使用路径模型分析对各项假设进行检验。 结果: 道德领导会积极影响护士中的决策权。此外,其对所有三个结果变量(工作投入、精疲力竭和离职倾向)也存在间接的影响力。在与这三个结果变量相关的中介因素中,观察到更多的影响作用。决策权对工作投入会带来积极的影响力,且能降低离职倾向。 结论: 本研究探讨将道德领导作为一种机制对护士的留任与工作体验结果具有积极的影响作用。医院的道德领导风格和赋予护士决策权可以改善他们的工作体验,有助于做好护士的聘用、支持和挽留工作。 影响: 本研究发现道德领导对决策权的积极作用,是一种促进护士工作投入的积极因素,同时能降低护士对工作精疲力竭和离职倾向。.
Keywords: decision authority; engagement; ethical leadership; exhaustion; nurse; nursing; turnover intention.
© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.