Distributed leadership and nurses' job satisfaction: a survey.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between perceived distributed leadership and job satisfaction among nurses. Leadership is central to improving quality care. Reports following investigations of poor care standards, identified inadequate leadership as a contributory factor and called for a new kind of leadership. One alternative is distributed leadership. Evidence suggests associations between leadership and job satisfaction but, there is a paucity of research examining associations between distributed leadership and job satisfaction: the purpose of this study was to address this gap. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A cross-sectional survey design was used and data collected via questionnaires. Using census sampling, 350 nurses in a hospital in Malta were selected. A response rate of 50% (n = 176) was achieved. Data were analysed using Spearman's correlation coefficient and multiple regression. Ethical approval was obtained from relevant committees/individuals. FINDINGS: Results indicated a moderate application of perceived distributed leadership and application of all components of distributed leadership could be improved. Nurses were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with their jobs. Correlation analysis showed a positive relationship between distributed leadership and job satisfaction. Multiple regression showed that commitment and participative decision-making were major predictors of job satisfaction while supervision by managers had a negative effect. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Improving distributed leadership is a priority in the nursing profession. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to show that distributed leadership has a positive effect on job satisfaction among nurses. Supervision, a constituent of distributed leadership, was associated with reduced job satisfaction, therefore reducing this is paramount.

Nursing leadership in Ireland: experiences and obstacles.

PURPOSE: This paper aims to investigate nurses' experiences of leadership within health care in the Republic of Ireland. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: This mainly qualitative study made use of a mail survey sent to a random national selection of registered nurses. Participants were asked to provide narrative descriptors of good nursing leadership and identify obstacles to such leadership. FINDINGS: Participants mainly provided examples of nursing leadership within a hierarchical context (concentrated leadership), such as meeting organisational goals and decision-making. While elements of distributed leadership were mentioned (good communication, providing help and support), they were mainly described as part of formal management roles, rather than leadership. Observed obstacles to developing nursing leadership included high workload, lack of support from management and peers, limited opportunities to gain experience, lack of education/training and poor work environments. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: The small sample (n = 72) limits generalisation. A wider interdisciplinary effort to address experiences with nursing leadership in Ireland may be needed to inform health services of the issues from a broader perspective. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The findings suggest that development of nursing leadership in Ireland may still be in its infancy, and that several obstacles need to be overcome. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Very few studies have addressed narratives from nurses regarding personal experiences with nursing leadership. The examples provided by participants have yielded significant insight into the issues they encounter, which are reflective of health care elsewhere.

Importance and use of correlational research.

BACKGROUND: The importance of correlational research has been reported in the literature yet few research texts discuss design in any detail. AIM: To discuss important issues and considerations in correlational research, and suggest ways to avert potential problems during the preparation and application of the design. DISCUSSION: This article targets the gap identified in the literature regarding correlational research design. Specifically, it discusses the importance and purpose of correlational research, its application, analysis and interpretation with contextualisations to nursing and health research. CONCLUSION: Findings from correlational research can be used to determine prevalence and relationships among variables, and to forecast events from current data and knowledge. In spite of its many uses, prudence is required when using the methodology and analysing data. To assist researchers in reducing mistakes, important issues are singled out for discussion and several options put forward for analysing data. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Correlational research is widely used and this paper should be particularly useful for novice nurse researchers. Furthermore, findings generated from correlational research can be used, for example, to inform decision-making, and to improve or initiate health-related activities or change.

Job satisfaction among public health nurses: a national survey.

BACKGROUND: Despite increasing interest in nurses' job satisfaction relatively few studies have investigated job satisfaction among public health nurses. AIM: To establish current level of job satisfaction among public health nurses and identify the main contributing variables/factors to job satisfaction among this population. DESIGN: Quantitative descriptive design. A simple random sample of 1000 public health nurses was conducted yielding a response rate of 35.1% (n = 351). Data was collected using the Index of Work Satisfaction Questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were deployed. RESULTS: Low levels of job satisfaction among public health nurses emerged. Professional status, interaction and autonomy contributed most to job satisfaction while pay and task-related activities contributed least. Age and tenure were the only biographic factors that correlated significantly with job satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Public health nurse managers/leaders need to find creative ways of improving the factors that contribute to job satisfaction and address robustly those factors that result in low job satisfaction. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: The critical issue for public health nurse managers is to determine how job satisfaction can be improved. Greater collaboration and consultation between managers and public health nurses can be regarded as a useful way to begin this process, especially if contemporary nursing is to embrace a responsive approach within the profession.

Developing leadership in nursing: exploring core factors.

This article provides an introduction to the issue of nursing leadership, addressing definitions and theories underpinning leadership, factors that enhance leadership in nursing, and the nature of leadership content taught in undergraduate programmes. Highlighted are differences between leadership and management, and the notion that leadership can be 'learned'. The authors also point out that there is a discrepancy between how leading undergraduate nursing programmes prepare students primarily in the transition of education to practice, and the suggestion from a number of nursing publications that leadership in nurses should be fostered throughout their education.

Developing leadership in nursing: the impact of education and training.

This is the second of two articles on developing leadership in nursing; this article explores the role and impact of training and education on nursing leadership. Nursing leadership education has been identified as much needed, and can be provided by universities (at Masters, diploma and certificate levels), healthcare organizations or hospitals. Research demonstrates that where leadership has been effectively taught and integrated into nursing, it has a positive impact on nurses' leadership skills and practice. It is suggested that healthcare organizations continue to develop and support leadership training, while also seeking ways of maintaining and promoting leadership development in practice.

Survey postal questionnaire: optimising response and dealing with non-response.

Non-response is a major concern for users of surveys as it threatens the validity of the findings and consequently any conclusions drawn, and trend studies indicate that participation in surveys is declining. This paper by Elizabeth Curtis and Richard Redmond aims to raise awareness about non-response in survey research and to suggest strategies researchers can use for increasing response rates.

The effects of biographical variables on job satisfaction among nurses.

A review of the literature confirms that there is no clear picture with regard to which biographical variables are strongly correlated with job satisfaction. Studies have shown small and inconsistent effects on variables, such as age, gender, education and personality, on job satisfaction. This study aimed to determine the effect of biographical variables on job satisfaction among nurses. The study used a dominant-less dominant mixed-method design and quantitative data were collected by a postal questionnaire survey. The sample was selected using stratified random sampling. The findings demonstrated no significant differences in job satisfaction for female and male nurses, and between job satisfaction and tenure. The findings did, however, confirm that nurses under the age of 35 were less satisfied than those over the age of 36; nurses with degrees were less satisfied than those without; and nurses in senior positions are more satisfied than their junior counterparts. The findings should be interpreted with caution because of the sample size and the small correlations between variables. Limitations aside, this study provides an insight into the relationship between these variables among nurses in the Republic of Ireland. It is possible that biographical variables are distal influences on job satisfaction, but further research is needed to better understand the relationship between these two sets of variables.