How does authentic leadership influence the safety climate in nursing?

Abstract

BackgroundAuthentic leadership controls quality care and the safety of patients and healthcare professionals, especially nurses.AimThis study examined the influence of nurses’ authentic leadership on the safety climate.MethodsIn this predictive research, 314 Jordanian nurses from various hospitals were convenience sampled for cross-sectional and correlational design. This research included all hospital nurses with 1 year of experience, at least at the present hospital. SPSS (V.25) conducted descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses. As needed, sample variables’ means, SD and frequencies were supplied.ResultsThe mean scores on the entire Authentic Leadership Questionnaire and its subscales were moderate. The mean score of the SCS was below 4 (out of 5), indicating negative safety climate perceptions. A significant positive moderate association was found between nurses’ authentic leadership and safety climate. Nurses’ authentic leadership predicted a safe climate. Internalised moral and balanced processing subscales were significant predictors of safety climate. Being woman and having a diploma inversely predicted the nurses’ authentic leadership; however, the model was insignificant.ConclusionInterventions are needed to enhance the perception of the safety climate in hospitals. Nurses’ authentic leadership increases their perceptions of a positive safety climate, and thus different strategies to build on nurses’ authentic leadership characteristics are warranted.Implications for nursing managementThe negative perceptions of the safety climate mandate that organisations create strategies to increase nurses’ awareness about the safety climate. Shared leadership, learning environments and information sharing would improve nurses’ perceptions of the safety climate. Future studies should examine other variables influencing safety climate with a more extensive and randomised sample. Safety climate and authentic leadership should be integrated into the nursing curricula and continuing education courses.