Transformational and Transactional Leadership Styles of The Nurse Administrators and Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment in Nursing Service

Park, Hyun Tae

Abstract

Today's healthcare environment is changing driven by demographic, environmental, social, political and technological forces. These rapidly changing healthcare environment and increasingly professional nursing practice indicate that identifying leadership characteristic of nursing leaders and executives is a vital importance in today's time and also mandate innovative leadership for nursing service. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examined the transformational, transactional leadership styles of the Nurse Administrators. Also described are the relationships between these leadership style and the job satisfaction, the organizational commitment of their subordinates. The sample consisted of sixteen mid-level nurse administrators, fifty head nurses and one hundred and fifty-three staff nurses of 4 public and private University Hospitals and 1 General Hospital. Data for this study was collected from Sep. 20 to Oct. 5by Questionnaire(Bass' MLQ, Job Satisfaction scale developed by Poter et al(1978). Organizational Commitment scale by Poter at al(1070). The data was analyzed by frequency, percentage, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's Correlation Coefficient with SPSS PC+ program. Major findings are as follows : Appropriate one-way ANOVA tests revealed that the difference for transformation and transactional leadership styles of nurse executives, mid-level nurse administrators, head nurses as perceived by their immediate subordinates were statistically significant(P<.05). The scores of transformational and contingent reward behaviors were declined of the mid-level nurse administrators, nurse executives. The transactional scores of nurse administrators were lower than transformational ones, which is desirable findings. The result of the highest transformational leader by their subordinates, and second was the mid-level nurse administrators. The nurse executives received the lowest transformational leadership scores from their subordinates. These results were opposit to the previous studies. And significant positive correlations were founded between transformational leadership including charisma, intellectual stimulation, individual consideration and contingent reward of nurse administrators and the job satisfaction, the organizational commitment of their subordinates. From the data, it can be concluded that transformational leadership style of nurse administrators promotes the job stratification, the organizational commitment of their staff nurses. Therefore leader looks for potential motives in subordinates, seeks to satisfy higher need, and engages the full person of the subordinate resulting in a relationship of mutual stimulation and elevation.