TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Title page i
Approval ii
Certification iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgement v
Table of content vi
List of Tables viii
List of figures ix
Abstract x
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1
Background to the study 1
Statement of the problem 5
Purpose of the study 6
Specific objectives 6
Research questions 7
Hypotheses 7
Significance of the study 7
Scope of the study 8
Operational definition of terms 8
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 10
Conceptual review 10
Leadership concept 12
Leadership styles 12
Transformational leadership style 13
Transactional leadership style 16
Laissez-faire leadership style 17
Job Satisfaction 19
Relationship between leadership styles and job satisfaction 22
Theoretical Review 25
Conceptual framework 30
Empirical review 31
Summary of literature review 39
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODS 40
Research design 40
Area of the study 40
Population of study 41
Subject of study 41
Inclusion Criteria 41
Instrument for data collection 42
Validity of instrument 42
Reliability of instrument 43
Ethical consideration 43
Procedure for data collection 43
Method of data analysis 44
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION OF RESULTS 46
CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION OF MAJOR FINDINGS 66
Limitations of the study 72
Suggestion for further study 72
Summary 72
Conclusion 74
Recommendations 75
References 76
Appendices 86
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Demographic characteristics of respondents 46
Table 2: Mean Responses on Transformational Leadership Style 48
Table 3: Mean Score of Transformational Leadership Styles 50
Table 4: Mean Responses on Transformational Leadership Style 51
Table 5: Mean Score for Transactional Leadership Style 53
Table 6: Mean Responses on Laissez Faire Leadership Style 54
Table 7: Mean Score of Laissez Faire Leadership Style 56
Table 8: The Perceived Leadership Style utilised by Nurse Managers in UNTH 57
Table 9: Job Satisfaction Level of Nurses in UNTH 58
Table 10: Overall Job Satisfaction Level of Nurses at UNTH 61
Table 11: Relationship between Transformational Leadership Style and Nurses’ Job Satisfaction 63
Table 12: Relationship between Transactional Leadership Style and Nurses’ Job Satisfaction 64
Table 13: Relationship
between Laissez Faire Leadership Style and Nurses’ Job Satisfaction 65
LIST OF FIGURES
Fig 1: A
conceptual model of the study (adopted from Hamidifar, 2010) 31
ABSTRACT
This study examined nurse managers’ leadership styles and their relationship with job satisfaction of nurses in University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, ItukuOzalla, Enugu. The specific objectives included to: determine the perceived leadership styles (Transformational, Transactional and Laisser-faire) utilized by nurse managers in University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH); determine the level of job satisfaction of nurses in UNTH; and to assess the relationship between leadership styles and job satisfaction of nurses in UNTH. Three hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Related literature was reviewed under conceptual review and empirical studies. Non-experimental descriptive correlational research design was adopted for the study. Validated questionnaire was used to administer the instruments to 228 respondents from which 205 correct responses were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study revealed that the job satisfaction for the study participants was above average (60%). while all leadership styles examined had significant relationship with job satisfaction of the respondents. Transformational and Transactional leadership styles had positive correlations with job satisfaction, with mean scores of 2.40 + 0.49 and 2.31 + 0.39 respectively. Laissez faire leadership style had negative correlation with job satisfaction with a mean job satisfaction score of 2.30 + 0.46. The inclusion of nurses at all levels of policy formulation at the hospital level, and improvement in reward structure to motivate proactive nurses was recommended.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the study
The constantly changing health care environment, high technology and high cost of care provision are few factors affecting nursing practice today(Murray, 2010). Hospitals face the problem of how to strategize to achieve their goals in this competitive and changing healthcare environment. This often means constant organizational change to meet new health care challenges. Pressures to provide quality care while cost reduction measures are frequently implemented, results in high stress levels for nurses in the workplace. In addition, constant changes inevitably place considerable pressure on nurse leaders to both adapt and proactively engage their subordinates to embrace changes in the face of acute staff shortages and in some poor cases,that slowly evolving work environment. These combined factors within the hospital arena maycontribute to the lack of satisfaction nurses experience with their jobs. As remarked by Sherman (2010), this scenario desperately calls for new leaders, leaders who inspire others with the vision of what can be accomplished. In order to move forward and survive in the face of these challenges, nurse managers and their subordinates must establish positive and mutually beneficial relationships that favour increased efficiency, productivity, and job satisfaction. Quality nursing leadership is seen as a predictor of job satisfaction (Giallonardo, Wong &Iwasiw, 2010).
Job satisfaction has been described as the most important predictor for nurses’ intention to remain in their work place and is related to the feeling of employees and can be influenced by factors such as the quality of their relationship with their supervisor or employer, the quality of the physical environment in which they work, or the degree of fulfilment in their work (Edwards, Bexley & Richardson, 2011, Ritter, 2010; Mackusick&Minick, 2010).The nurse manager (NM) is officially charged with leadership of a health unit in a hospital system. No one else influences the whole health unit operation and the degree of responsiveness of both the nurses and patients than nurse managers. The quality of patient care, as well as staff recruitment and retention success are the key roles of a nurse manager (Olanrewaju, 2012). NMs as leaders,plan, coordinate and supervise day to day activities and general welfare of the nurses and patients. Their activities positively or negatively affect patient care delivery. The leadership style, skills and abilities of nurse managers are critical to the smooth operation of nursing units, the success of the hospital and by implication the entire healthcare system.
Leadership style has become an important topic of study in the management field. A good leader guides subordinates to work effectively toward organizational goals. According to Schimmoeller (2010) and Fatokun, Salaam and Ajegbomogun(2010), leadership styles can be viewed as series of managerial attitudes, behaviours, characteristics and skills based on individual and organizational values, leadership interests and reliability of employees in different situations. Organizational success in obtaining its goals and objectives depends on managers and their leadership style.
There are several styles of leadership such as autocratic, bureaucratic, laissez-faire, charismatic, democratic, participative, situational, transactional, and transformational leadership. Not everyone agrees that a particular style of leadership will result in the most effective form of organizational behaviour. Different styles are needed for different situations and each leader needs to know when to exhibit a particular approach. Transformational and transactional leadership behaviours are known as the new leadership theories and are used by most academics who study organizational leadership(Kozier, 2007).By using appropriate leadership styles, managers can affect employee job satisfaction, commitment and productivity.
The relationship between a manager’s leadership and subordinate/employees job satisfaction is well documented (Hall, 2007; Christmas, 2008 &Ma, Lee, Yang & Chang, 2009). Job satisfaction is related to the feeling of employees and can be influenced by factors such as the quality of their relationship with their supervisor or employer, the quality of the physical environment in which they work, or the degree of fulfilment in their work. Job satisfaction can be considered from a global perspective, such as the feelings and emotions perceived by the individual employee based on work experiences (Cowin, Johnson, Craven & Marsh, 2008). It can also be explored through a facet approach- studying employee attitude towards various aspects (facets) of their jobs. Hegney, Plank and Parker (2006) described two aspects of values, intrinsic and extrinsic where intrinsic values refer to satisfaction inherent in the work itself (immaterial aspects of the job) such as job variety and autonomy and extrinsic values refer to material work aspects such as salary and opportunity for promotion. Job satisfaction is therefore the result of an evaluation of whether ones job meets ones needs. If one feels dissatisfied, searching for and accepting another place to work will likely occur. Job satisfaction has been described as the most important predictor for nurses’ intention to remain in their work place (Larrabee, Janney, Ostrow, Withrow, Hobbs &Burant, 2003).
Previous studies on the relationship between nurse managers’ leadership style and nurse job satisfaction byTobak andKoprak(2007) found that transformational leadership style exhibited by nurse managers in Israeli public hospitals was best suited for conflict management in an innovative but understaffed system. Similarly, a significant correlation was found to exist, in a study carried out by Sellgren (2007), between nurse manager’s leadership behaviour and job satisfaction in the Karolinska hospital in Stockholm. If the leadership style necessary to manage the present challenging nurses’ work environment is lacking, there is a potential for continued increase in the nursing shortage and its attendant grave consequences.
Statement of the problem
