The Correlation between First –Line Nurse Managers′ Leadership Style and Staff Nurses ΄Structural Empowerment and Work Engagement

Background: Healthcare organizations are facing many complex challenges that affect organizational success like providing best health care within affordable cost and nursing staff retention. These challenges need well prepared nurse leader who adopt an effective leadership style to manage and overcome these challenges. Leadership styles of first –line nurse managers can have a favorable impact on staff nurses′ engagement and empowerment, resulting in increased nurses’ performance. Aim: To identify the correlation between first –line nurse managers′ leadership style and staff nurses ′structural empowerment and work engagement. Settings: This study was conducted in all inpatient’s medical units (24 units) and surgical units (15 units) at Alexandria Main University Hospitals, as it is the largest hospital, contained a large number of beds and staff nurses with different qualifications. Subjects: convenience sample of 340 staff nurses with 6 months experience and more who provided direct and indirect care to patients, and who worked in the previously mentioned units and available at the time of data collection. Tools: Three tools were used in this study Namely; The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire 5X Short Form, Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire (CWEQ Ⅱ) and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). Results: The study showed there was significant positive high correlation between transformational leadership style and staff nurses ′structural empowerment where (r = 0.754, p = 0.000*), and significant positive moderate correlation between transformational leadership style and staff nurses ′ work engagement where (r = 0.  575, p = 0.000*). Additionally, there was insignificant low correlation between transactional leadership style and staff nurses ′structural empowerment where (r = 0.047, p = 0.384). furthermore, there was significant low correlation between transactional leadership style and staff nurses ′ work engagement where (r = 0.129, p = 0.017*). Also, there was significant negative correlation between laissez – faire leadership style and staff nurses ′structural empowerment and work engagement. Recommendations: For the nursing administrators Providing a healthy work environment that characterized with open communication through conducting a schedule for staff meeting and workshops with their managers to improve the ability of the manager to consider structural empowerment and work engagement. For the first -line nurse manager Conducting frequent meeting and open discussion with staff nurses to identify their needs and problems, discuss issues related to their clinical practice as well as facilitate their participation in decisions making regarding to their work environment and patient to improve their satisfaction & self- esteem.