Effects of Servant Leadership Style on Hindrance Stressors, Burnout, Job Satisfaction, Turnover Intentions, and Individual Performance in a Nursing Unit

Abstract

Today’s healthcare organizations face burgeoning pressures to hire and retain nurses who face considerable workplace stress. Servant leadership behaviours are effective to mitigate workplace stressors impacting nurse burnout, job satisfaction, turnover intentions and performance. Based on a survey of 248 nursing professionals working in inpatient and outpatient care facilities, the results of this study confirm the direct buffering effects of servant leadership on hindrance stressors. Servant leadership decreases nurse burnout while increasing job satisfaction. Third, nurse burnout reduces job satisfaction, yet has no direct impact on turnover intentions or individual performance. Next, job satisfaction has a direct positive impact on individual performance and a direct negative impact on turnover intentions. The model also confirms that hindrance stressors partially mediate the relationship between servant leadership and burnout while burnout is a partial mediator between servant leadership and job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is a full mediator between servant leadership and performance and turnover intentions. Furthermore, the results show serial mediation involving hindrance stressors, burnout and job satisfaction as a link between servant leadership and performance and turnover. Finally, we provide a managerial discussion supporting servant leadership behaviours to impact overall working conditions for nurses.