Empowering leader behaviours: impact on health professionals’ empowerment and commitment

Hernández-Marrero, P.; Pereira, S. Martins; Lopes, T.; Flint, D. H.

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/54387

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Authors

Hernández-Marrero, P.

Pereira, S. Martins

Lopes, T.

Flint, D. H.

Abstract(s)

Background: The importance of leaders’ behaviours in empowering staff in the workplace is advocated in healthcare management literature. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence linking empowering leadership behaviours with professionals’ sense of workplace empowerment and commitment. Facilitative leadership styles are considered important to redesigning work in palliative care provided in primary care services. Aims: To test a model linking leader-empowering behaviours to health professionals’ perceptions of workplace empowerment and commitment in primary care. Methods: As part of a larger multicenter survey study, a random sample of 209 professionals (nurses and physicians) providing palliative care in primary care settings in two Spanish regions was drawn. Three pre-validated scales were used to measure leader-empowering behaviours, empowerment and commitment. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to test the mediation model. Results: Overall, perceptions of workplace empowerment were significantly related to all dimensions of leader-empowering behaviours. These dimensions were correlated with empowerment and commitment (rs= .31 to .63). Empowerment at least partially mediated the relationship between leader-empowering behaviours and commitment. Empowerment had a significant impact on commitment (β = .64, p < .05). Conclusions: The results of this study highlight the importance of facilitative leaders in creating empowering work environments. Hence, recommendations can be made to ensure that healthcare managers leading primary care teams facilitate the implementation and delivery of palliative care in these settings by promoting professionals’ empowerment and commitment. This study provides encouraging empirical support and guidance for healthcare leaders interested in creating highly-effective work environments that benefit both patients and professionals who care for them within current turbulent healthcare organisations.