Abstract

There is a demand for nursing leadership to create a healthy work environment for nursing practice, which is crucial for maintaining an adequate workforce (Shirey, 2006). Rother and Lavizzo-Mourey (2009) predicted that by 2025 the nursing shortage may reach as high as 500,000 U.S. nursing vacancies. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between servant leadership (SL) characteristics of nurse leaders and the perceptions of empowerment among their followers. Servant leadership has emerged as an effective leadership style that prioritizes developing the full potential of followers (Liden, 2013). Current research suggests an empirical link exists between servant leadership and empowerment (Liden, Panaccio, Meuser, Hu, & Wayne, 2011; Van Dierendonck, 2011). An empowered workforce is able to handle unstable environments (Liden, 2013) such as the nursing shortage.

In 2015, 51 nurse leaders and 237 direct-reports from workplace units in a multifacility health system completed the Servant Leadership Scale (SLS) and a demographic questionnaire. In addition, the direct-reports completed the Psychological Empowerment Inventory (PEI). A convenience sampling technique was utilized to assist in obtaining participants for this quantitative study. An independent samples t-test was used to analyze the data. It was found that a relationship existed between nurse leaders that were rated as servant-leaders by their direct-reports, and the direct-reports' perception of empowerment. However, it was found that no relationship existed between the nurse leaders' self-evaluation on the SLS and the direct-reports' evaluation of their nurse leaders on the SLS.

Description

This dissertation has also been disseminated through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. Dissertation/thesis number: 10129698; ProQuest document ID: 1814218339. The author still retains copyright.

Authors

Holly H. Hall

Author Details

Holly H. Hall, EdD, MSHA, RN

Sigma Membership

Zeta Phi

Type

Dissertation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

N/A

Research Approach

Quantitative Research

Keywords:

Servant Leadership, Servant Leaders, Psychological Empowerment, Nursing Shortage

Advisors

Schulling, Sharon||Barnes, Joanne||Harrison, Pamela

Degree

Doctoral-Other

Degree Grantor

Indiana Wesleyan University

Degree Year

2016

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.

All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

None: Degree-based Submission

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Date of Issue

2024-01-30

Full Text of Presentation

wf_yes

Share

COinS