Servant leadership and performance of public hospitals: Trust in the leader and psychological empowerment of nurses.

AIMS: This study examines the effect of servant leadership on the performance of the hospital through the mediating effect of trust in the leader. It further analyses the moderating role of psychological empowerment. BACKGROUND: Hospitals in Pakistan experience a severe shortage of nurses. Nurses are overworked and need support to provide quality patient care. Servant leadership, which focuses on the growth and development of followers, is of relevance in such context. METHODS: A sample of 339 registered nurses from four public hospitals in Pakistan provided survey data. Instruments with established psychometric properties and structural equation modelling were used to test the model. RESULTS: Servant leadership has a significant direct effect on trust in the leader and an indirect effect on the performance of the hospital through trust in the leader. A moderated mediation test reveals that the relationship between trust in the leader and the performance of the hospital is stronger when nurses report high psychological empowerment. CONCLUSION: Servant leadership instils trust among nurses and elevates the organisational performance of the hospital. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Hospitals should select and train nurse managers who can embody the principles of servant leadership and provide resources to increase psychological empowerment among nurses.

Personality and responses to Covid-19 health and safety prevention.

In this study, we examine the respective effects of prosocial personality and grandiose narcissism on individual social responsibility, and attitudinal and behavioral responses to Covid-19 health and safety preventive measures. We further analyze the extent to which individuals feel targeted by bullies for wearing a mask in order to shed light on the psychological consequences of the current pandemic. We employed a cross-sectional technique using a snowball sampling method to recruit participants from the United States and Canada. We obtained a total of 968 completed surveys. Results of SEM reveal that prosocial personality enhances individual social responsibility and positive responses to health and safety preventive measures, whereas grandiose narcissism augments negative responses. Results highlight that socially responsible individuals report being bullied for wearing a mask. Findings are discussed in light of the characteristics of the respondents, and cultural aspects.

Delegating decision making in health care organizations.

This article explores the realm of delegation from the behavioral standpoint. Delegation is defined as well as reasons why it fails. The limitations of decision making as related to delegation are covered. Ways in which health care organizations can improve managerial decision making to make a positive impact on delegation are explored. Finally, considerations for managers to engage in effective delegation are delineated.

Improving retention of older employees through training and development.

This article explores the needs and interests of older employees in training and development efforts which can result in higher retention rates. Managers may be reluctant to train workers close to retirement age for various reasons. Managers also use certain practices to avoid training older employees. When training is offered, accurate performance feedback is essential for desired training outcomes to occur. Finally, areas are proposed which are more appropriate to include in training and development endeavors for older employees versus younger ones.

A critical examination of formal and informal mentoring among nurses.

This article focuses on how mentoring among nurses can help them to better serve their profession and health care organizations to more successfully achieve their goals. Specifically, it addresses how formal and informal mentoring can yield benefits to both the nursing profession and health care organizations. It presents some advantages and disadvantages of formal and informal mentoring. Finally, it delineates some important considerations that should be carefully analyzed before establishing a formal program.

Workplace deviance: strategies for modifying employee behavior.

More than ever, today's health care employees must perform their jobs as efficiently and effectively as possible. Job performance must integrate both technical and necessary soft skills. Workplace deviant behaviors are counterproductive to good job performance. Various deviant behaviors are examined. Areas and strategies of managerial intervention are reviewed which will enable the prevention or modification of undesired employee behaviors.