Association of nurse managers' paternalistic leadership and nurses' perceived workplace bullying: The mediating effect of organizational climate.

AIMS: To explore the association between nurse managers' paternalistic leadership and nurses' perceived workplace bullying (WPB), as well as to examine the mediating role of organizational climate in this association. BACKGROUND: There is a lack of empirical evidence regarding the relationship between nurse managers' paternalistic leadership, organizational climate and nurses' perceived WPB. Clarifying this relationship is crucial to understand how paternalistic leadership influences WPB and for nursing managers to seek organizational-level solutions to prevent it. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was performed from 4 January to 10 February 2022, in six tertiary hospitals in mainland China. Demographic information, Paternalistic Leadership Scale, Organizational Climate Scale and Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised were used in the survey. Descriptive statistics, Spearman correlation analyses and a structural equation model were used for data analysis. RESULTS: A total of 5093 valid questionnaires were collected. Moral leadership and authoritarian leadership have both direct and indirect effects on WPB through the mediating effect of organizational climate. The former is negatively related to WPB and the latter is positively related to WPB. Benevolent leadership was only negatively associated with WPB via the mediating effect of organizational climate. CONCLUSION: The three components of paternalistic leadership have different effects on WPB through the mediating effect of organizational climate. Nurse managers are recommended to strengthen moral leadership, balance benevolent leadership, reduce authoritarian leadership and strive to create a positive organizational climate in their efforts to mitigate WPB among nurses. IMPACT: This study enhanced our comprehension of the relationship between different leadership styles and WPB. Greater emphasis should be placed on moral leadership in the promotion of nursing managers and nursing leadership training programs. Additionally, nursing managers should focus on establishing a positive organizational climate that helps to reduce WPB. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution. This study did not involve patients, service users, caregivers or members of the public.

Ethical climate, moral resilience, and ethical competence of head nurses.

BACKGROUND: The ethical competence of head nurses plays a pivotal role in nursing ethics. Ethical climate is a prerequisite for ethical competence, and moral resilience can positively influence an individual's ethical competence. However, few studies have focused on the relationship between ethical climate, moral resilience, and ethical competence among them. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between ethical climate, moral resilience, and ethical competence, and examine the mediating role of moral resilience between ethical climate and ethical competence among head nurses. DESIGN: A quantitative, cross-sectional study. METHODS: A total of 309 Chinese head nurses completed an online survey, including ethical climate questionnaire, Rushton moral resilience scale, and ethical competence questionnaire. Inferential statistical analysis includes Pearson's correlation and a structural equation model. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: This study received ethical approval from the Institutional Review Board of Xiangya Nursing School of Central South University (No. E2023146). RESULTS: Head nurses' ethical climate score positively impacted ethical competence (r = 0.208, p < .001), and ethical climate could affect ethical competence through the mediating role of moral resilience. CONCLUSION: This study emphasized the value of ethical climate in moral resilience of head nurses, ultimately leading to an enhancement in their ethical competence.