Is nurse managers' leadership style related to Japanese staff nurses' affective commitment to their hospital?

Aim To determine if nurse managers' leadership style is related to Japanese staff nurses' affective commitment to their hospital. Background In Western countries, nurse managers' transformational leadership style has been found to increase staff nurses' affective commitment to their hospital. However, there are few studies examining this relationship in the context of acute care hospitals in Japan. Methods Staff nurses completed measures of their nurse managers' perceived leadership style and factors related to their own affective commitment. The association between affective commitment and perception of leadership style was assessed with multiple logistic regression. Results Of 736 questionnaires distributed, 579 (78.9%) were returned, and data from 396 (53.8%) fully completed questionnaires were analysed. The intellectual stimulation aspect of transformational leadership positively increased staff nurses' affective commitment (odds ratio: 2.23). Nurse managers' transactional and laissez-faire leadership styles were not related to affective commitment among staff nurses. Conclusions The intellectual stimulation aspect of transformational leadership may increase the retention of staff nurses through enhanced affective commitment. Implications for nursing management To increase staff nurses' affective commitment to their hospital, we suggest that hospital administrators equip nurse managers with intellectual stimulation skills.