Authentic leadership and job satisfaction among long-term care nurses

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of managers’ authentic leadership, person–job match in the six areas of worklife (AWLs) and emotional exhaustion on long-term care registered nurses’ job satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

A secondary analysis of baseline data from a national survey of 1,410 Canadian registered nurses from various work settings was used in this study, which yielded a subsample of 78 nurses working in direct care roles in long-term care settings. Hayes’ PROCESS macro for mediation analysis in SPSS was used to test the hypothesized model.

Findings

Findings showed that authentic leadership significantly predicted job satisfaction directly and indirectly through AWLs and emotional exhaustion.

Practical implications

Authentic leadership may provide guidance to long-term care managers about promoting nurses’ job satisfaction, which is essential to recruiting and retaining nurses to meet the care needs of an aging population.

Originality/value

As demand for care of the aged is increasing and creating challenges to ensuring a sufficient and sustainable nursing workforce, it is important to understand factors that promote long-term care nurses’ job satisfaction. Findings contribute to knowledge of long-term care nurses by suggesting that managers’ authentic leadership can positively affect nurses’ job satisfaction directly and indirectly through positive perceptions of AWLs and lower emotional exhaustion.