On 2015 Nov 12, University of Kansas School of Nursing Journal Club commented:

Reviewers (Team 2): Jennifer Patton, Jessica Reed, Kendal Miller, Brittany Nedblake, Christena Beer, Melissa Zanski-Loughlin, & Haydee Fewell (Senior Nursing Students - Class of 2016)

Background Introduction:

        Within Section 2 of the Process Elements of Healthy Work Environments, in our Microsystems course, we have examined many factors that produce healthy work environments. With the alarmingly high rate of nurse turnover that influences many new graduate nurses to leave the nursing profession, a need for examination of the various factors that lead to burnout is present. Many of our class discussions have examined different leadership styles as a prominent aspect involved in cultivating various types of work environments that can positively or negatively affect employees. Negative work environments that lack strong, influential leaders can lead to workplace bullying and other undesirable behaviors between coworkers. Laschinger, Wong, & Grau (2012), examine the impact of authentic leadership in reducing workplace bullying that leads to burnout and turnover in new graduate nurses. Our group felt that this article aligned with our recent class discussion while incorporating a unique perspective on the relationship between authentic leadership and healthy work environments.

Methods:

        Our group retrieved the article using Google Scholar as our research database. Within the Google Scholar database we searched for the key words “Authentic Leadership” and “New Graduate Nurses” to obtain an article that aligns with recent class discussion about leadership styles. We felt that this article was relevant to the entire class because we will soon be new graduate nurses entering the nursing profession. This article portrays the importance of selecting a job on a unit that has a healthy work environment supported by an authentic leader.
        According to Laschinger, Wong, & Grau (2012), “The aim of this study was to test a model linking new graduate nurses’ perceptions of their immediate supervisor’s authentic leadership behaviors to their experiences of workplace bullying and burnout in Canadian hospital work settings, and ultimately to job satisfaction and turnover intentions” (p. 1269). It is a cross-sectional study, which involves the analysis of data collected from a target population. The study focused on 342 new graduate nurses in acute care settings in Ontario, Canada, with less than two years of practice experience. A survey that measured detailed components of authentic leadership, workplace bullying, nurse burnout, job satisfaction, and a turnover intention was sent to the home addresses of the nurses selected to participate. The survey contained standardized questionnaires to assess the study variables. Once the surveys were completed and returned, the data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, and the Analysis of Moment Structures statistical software programs. The statistics were then analyzed using structural equation modeling techniques, which ultimately led to the use of a path analysis to finalize the findings.

Findings:

Of the 342 new graduated nurses who were surveyed, 92% were female averaging 28 years of age and 1.04 years of nursing. All respondents were baccalaureate prepared nurses working on a critical care unit (23%) or a medical-surgical floor (55%), with either full time (62%) or part time (28%) employment. Laschinger, Wong, & Grau (2012), found that the new graduate nurses’ ratings of their managers authentic leaders behaviors were categorized as ‘sometimes’ and ‘fairly often’ (M= 2.47), and the overall mean frequency of work-related bullying was low (M= 1.57). One interesting finding was nurse burnout. Although the average years of nursing was 1.04, the emotional exhaustion average was 2.90, meaning that they are already approaching severe burnout. Authentic leadership was correlated significantly to increased job satisfaction (r=0.40) and decreased workplace bullying (r= -0.37). Job satisfaction and work-related bullying were strongly related to one another as well. These findings highlight the importance of authentic leadership in creating bullying-free environments as well as preventing burnout, and encouraging retention of new graduate nurses. Although this study takes place in Canada, there is not direct comparison or contrast between different international settings (i.e. Canada vs United Stated). This is a limitation because without a comparison, it is unknown whether these findings correlate internationally or not. Another limitation is that this is a cross-sectional study design. This particular design impedes the ability to make cause and effect statements. Therefore, further longitudinal designed research is necessary in order to track changes over time to better interpret the transition process. Another limitation of this study was the use of surveying, because individuals can chose to participate or not. Within this study, Laschinger, Wong, & Grau (2012), tried to facilitate the process by encouraging feedback and the importance of evaluating authentic leadership and how it correlates to workplace bullying, retention rates, intent to leave, and job satisfaction. A final limitation of this study: factors not measured, such as personal dispositional variables (resilience or coping self-efficacy). It would have been beneficial to explore, because these factors could contribute to retention rates and job satisfaction.

Implications:

The selected literature is important to nursing and nursing practice. As seen from the results, authentic leadership behaviors are associated with new graduates’ experience of bullying, job satisfaction, burnout, and job turnover intentions within the first two years of practice. After reading this article, as a soon-to-be baccalaureate graduates, we have discovered that authentic leadership will personally affect our future job satisfaction, bullying, and the decision to stay in the nursing profession. When interviewing for future positions at a facility, we will use this time to ask some authentic leadership questions to assess how the manager would handle certain situations. Having authentic leadership within the workplace is important on a personal level, because we want to work somewhere free of bullying, where there is less burnout and high levels of job satisfaction. This is also vital to the microsystem because with less burnout, there will be more consistency within the workplace. Staff will bond better in a stable work environment, which will lead to better patient outcomes, better job satisfaction, and a more trusting environment that facilitates teamwork and collaboration. This is fundamental for the nursing profession to achieve because patient care is at the core of the microsystem and in order to encourage patient satisfaction and better outcomes, authentic leadership is essential.

Reference: Laschinger, H. K. S., Wong, C. A., & Grau, A. L. (2012). The influence of authentic leadership on newly graduated nurses’ experiences of workplace bullying, burnout and retention outcomes: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 49(10), 1266-1276.

On 2015 Nov 12, University of Kansas School of Nursing Journal Club commented:

Reviewers (Team 2): Jennifer Patton, Jessica Reed, Kendal Miller, Brittany Nedblake, Christena Beer, Melissa Zanski-Loughlin, & Haydee Fewell (Senior Nursing Students - Class of 2016)

Background Introduction:

        Within Section 2 of the Process Elements of Healthy Work Environments, in our Microsystems course, we have examined many factors that produce healthy work environments. With the alarmingly high rate of nurse turnover that influences many new graduate nurses to leave the nursing profession, a need for examination of the various factors that lead to burnout is present. Many of our class discussions have examined different leadership styles as a prominent aspect involved in cultivating various types of work environments that can positively or negatively affect employees. Negative work environments that lack strong, influential leaders can lead to workplace bullying and other undesirable behaviors between coworkers. Laschinger, Wong, & Grau (2012), examine the impact of authentic leadership in reducing workplace bullying that leads to burnout and turnover in new graduate nurses. Our group felt that this article aligned with our recent class discussion while incorporating a unique perspective on the relationship between authentic leadership and healthy work environments.

Methods:

        Our group retrieved the article using Google Scholar as our research database. Within the Google Scholar database we searched for the key words “Authentic Leadership” and “New Graduate Nurses” to obtain an article that aligns with recent class discussion about leadership styles. We felt that this article was relevant to the entire class because we will soon be new graduate nurses entering the nursing profession. This article portrays the importance of selecting a job on a unit that has a healthy work environment supported by an authentic leader.
        According to Laschinger, Wong, & Grau (2012), “The aim of this study was to test a model linking new graduate nurses’ perceptions of their immediate supervisor’s authentic leadership behaviors to their experiences of workplace bullying and burnout in Canadian hospital work settings, and ultimately to job satisfaction and turnover intentions” (p. 1269). It is a cross-sectional study, which involves the analysis of data collected from a target population. The study focused on 342 new graduate nurses in acute care settings in Ontario, Canada, with less than two years of practice experience. A survey that measured detailed components of authentic leadership, workplace bullying, nurse burnout, job satisfaction, and a turnover intention was sent to the home addresses of the nurses selected to participate. The survey contained standardized questionnaires to assess the study variables. Once the surveys were completed and returned, the data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, and the Analysis of Moment Structures statistical software programs. The statistics were then analyzed using structural equation modeling techniques, which ultimately led to the use of a path analysis to finalize the findings.

Findings:

Of the 342 new graduated nurses who were surveyed, 92% were female averaging 28 years of age and 1.04 years of nursing. All respondents were baccalaureate prepared nurses working on a critical care unit (23%) or a medical-surgical floor (55%), with either full time (62%) or part time (28%) employment. Laschinger, Wong, & Grau (2012), found that the new graduate nurses’ ratings of their managers authentic leaders behaviors were categorized as ‘sometimes’ and ‘fairly often’ (M= 2.47), and the overall mean frequency of work-related bullying was low (M= 1.57). One interesting finding was nurse burnout. Although the average years of nursing was 1.04, the emotional exhaustion average was 2.90, meaning that they are already approaching severe burnout. Authentic leadership was correlated significantly to increased job satisfaction (r=0.40) and decreased workplace bullying (r= -0.37). Job satisfaction and work-related bullying were strongly related to one another as well. These findings highlight the importance of authentic leadership in creating bullying-free environments as well as preventing burnout, and encouraging retention of new graduate nurses. Although this study takes place in Canada, there is not direct comparison or contrast between different international settings (i.e. Canada vs United Stated). This is a limitation because without a comparison, it is unknown whether these findings correlate internationally or not. Another limitation is that this is a cross-sectional study design. This particular design impedes the ability to make cause and effect statements. Therefore, further longitudinal designed research is necessary in order to track changes over time to better interpret the transition process. Another limitation of this study was the use of surveying, because individuals can chose to participate or not. Within this study, Laschinger, Wong, & Grau (2012), tried to facilitate the process by encouraging feedback and the importance of evaluating authentic leadership and how it correlates to workplace bullying, retention rates, intent to leave, and job satisfaction. A final limitation of this study: factors not measured, such as personal dispositional variables (resilience or coping self-efficacy). It would have been beneficial to explore, because these factors could contribute to retention rates and job satisfaction.

Implications:

The selected literature is important to nursing and nursing practice. As seen from the results, authentic leadership behaviors are associated with new graduates’ experience of bullying, job satisfaction, burnout, and job turnover intentions within the first two years of practice. After reading this article, as a soon-to-be baccalaureate graduates, we have discovered that authentic leadership will personally affect our future job satisfaction, bullying, and the decision to stay in the nursing profession. When interviewing for future positions at a facility, we will use this time to ask some authentic leadership questions to assess how the manager would handle certain situations. Having authentic leadership within the workplace is important on a personal level, because we want to work somewhere free of bullying, where there is less burnout and high levels of job satisfaction. This is also vital to the microsystem because with less burnout, there will be more consistency within the workplace. Staff will bond better in a stable work environment, which will lead to better patient outcomes, better job satisfaction, and a more trusting environment that facilitates teamwork and collaboration. This is fundamental for the nursing profession to achieve because patient care is at the core of the microsystem and in order to encourage patient satisfaction and better outcomes, authentic leadership is essential.

Reference: Laschinger, H. K. S., Wong, C. A., & Grau, A. L. (2012). The influence of authentic leadership on newly graduated nurses’ experiences of workplace bullying, burnout and retention outcomes: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 49(10), 1266-1276.