Nurses' Perspectives on Leadership Styles and Work Engagement in Jordan Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Study.

AIM: The study examined the relationship between leadership styles and work engagement among nurses from their perspectives. BACKGROUND: Nurses frequently face substantial stress, burnout, and emotional weariness as a result of high patient care demands and staffing shortages. Keeping nurses engaged is crucial for healthcare firms looking to retain employees while offering high-quality care. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was adopted, using a convenience sampling technique, and descriptive and correlational analyses were carried out. A total of 337 registered nurses were recruited. Data were collected from participants using self-administered questionnaires, including the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), which was used to assess nurses' work engagement. RESULTS: Directive leadership is perceived as the dominant leadership style by registered nurses in Jordanian hospitals. When examining the dominant leadership style as perceived by registered nurses, the directive leadership style achieved the highest mean score (M = 23.55, SD = 5.67), followed by the achievement-oriented style (M = 22.09, SD = 4.93). In third place, the participative leadership style was accounted for (M = 21.85, SD = 6.45). The supportive leadership style ranked last with a mean score of 21.55 (SD = 5.81). CONCLUSION: Effective leadership styles are associated with higher levels of work engagement among nurses. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: These findings could guide policymakers in establishing organizational policies to train nurse managers in effective leadership styles that enhance nurses' engagement and quality of life, while also enriching the factors that may enhance nurses' motivation and reduce their turnover intention. This study is descriptive and has an IRB number 34/165/2023.