Aim: The study explores whether, and how, gender equality is associated with key aspects related to operative managers' improvement work. We explore the possible associations between gender equality and; prioritization of social regulations in operative decision-making, engagement in operative improvement work, group dynamics challenges and collaboration between managers and subordinates.
Background: Regarding organizational relations and preconditions for providing good care and developing operative work in the social and elderly care sector, the value of having organizational gender equality is unknown.
Method: Associations were analysed using structural equation modelling of questionnaire data. The questionnaire was distributed to first-line managers in a large city in Sweden (n = 598, response rate 56%).
Results: Positive perceptions of organizations' gender equality were significantly associated with more engagement in operative improvement work, fewer group dynamics challenges and higher priority of social regulations in unit decision-making, also when controlling for confounders. Gender equality had no association with managers' collaboration with subordinates in this study.
Conclusion(s): This study demonstrates that equal opportunities for male and female workers could benefit operative managers' improvement work.
Implications for nursing management: Organizations that strive to improve conditions for operative work, which strengthen preconditions for service development, should include values of gender equality.
Keywords: collaboration; elderly care; gender equality; institutional logics; leadership.
© 2021 The Authors. Journal of Nursing Management published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.