AbstractsMedical & Health Science

This study described the leadership style of nurse managers in a Magnet designated organization and determined the relationship between their self-perceptions of their leadership style and the perceptions of their respective directors, and direct report registered nurses. The study used a descriptive design. A convenience sample of eight nurse managers and their immediate supervisors (four directors), and direct reports (68 staff nurses) from select units at a Magnet designated healthcare facility in Northeast Ohio completed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) (5X short) Leader Form and Rater Form (Bass & Avolio, 2004). The MLQ measures leadership style (Transformational, Transactional, and Passive Avoidant) and leadership outcomes (Extra effort, Effectiveness, and Satisfaction) based on raters perceptions of the leaders behavior. Descriptive statistics described the sample demographic data (gender, age, nursing education, number of years as an RN, number of years in current position, and number of years as a nurse manager). Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) analyzed MLQ data. The means, standard deviations, and ranges were calculated for all scales items. Reliability for subscales was calculated using Cronbachs alpha (Cronbach, 1970). The directors overall mean scores on the MLQ items indicated perceived leadership characteristics of the nurse managers as more Transformational with a mean of 3.6/4. The nurse managers rated themselves lower than the directors but higher than the staff nurses for Transformational leadership style with a mean of 3.3/4. Conversely, the staff nurses rated the nurse managers to be almost the same in Transformational and Transactional leadership styles with means of 2.7/4 and 2.65/4 respectively. The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient showed a positive correlation between Transformational leadership style and the outcomes extra effort, effectiveness, and satisfaction. Knowledge gained from this study indicated the leadership styles among nurse managers in a Magnet designated hospital aligns with the Magnet model for nursing excellence. Transformational leadership practices that are consistent with Magnet designation will enable nurse leaders to be proactive in meeting challenges and opportunities.