Kathy Baker

Review: The role of workplace social capital, compassion satisfaction and secondary traumatic stress in affective organisational commitment of a sample of Iranian nurses

Retaining committed, engaged nursing staff remains an important but elusive goal for many health systems. The link between engaged nursing staff and high-quality patient outcomes is undisputed, and in this era of cost containment, unwanted turnover of disengaged nursing staff has significant cost implications. With potential nursing shortages anticipated in some geographic regions over the next decade, retaining experienced, engaged registered nurses is more important than ever to ensure a stable workforce (Buerhaus, 2017). Therefore, understanding the determinants that both improve and inhibit high levels of nurse commitment is important for nurse leaders. Workplace social capital, compassion satisfaction and secondary traumatic stress are variables that have been relatively unexplored in the healthcare literature in relation to organisational commitment. However, these variables were recently examined in a sample of 250 Iranian nurses. This reviewed study demonstrated a significant and positive relationship between workplace social capital, compassion satisfaction and organisational commitment. Conversely, this study demonstrated a significant negative relationship between secondary traumatic stress and organisational commitment. Previous research has identified perceptions of transformational leadership and co-worker trust as important variables in promoting organisational commitment of nursing staff (Kramer, 2017). Conceptually, this supports the positive relationship between workplace social capital and affective organisational commitment that was found in the reviewed study. This study finding reinforces how important positive leadership styles and positive work environments are in ensuring a stable nursing workforce.

Review: Developing an Appreciative Management Scale (AMS 1.0)

Understanding the prevalence of an appreciative management approach in healthcare leaders using an appreciative management scale can contribute significantly to the development of transformational leaders needed in healthcare systems both today and in the future. The need for healthcare leaders to embrace positive, transformational leadership styles is undisputed in the literature. As complex adaptive healthcare systems evolve from hierarchical to team-based structures, the leadership styles of healthcare leaders must also evolve. This is not only desirable from an employee satisfaction perspective, but necessary from an organizational survival perspective. Healthcare systems simply cannot achieve the patient care outcomes required for future success without the successful transition to teambased structures and the adoption of leadership styles that support interdisciplinary team functioning (Gittell, 2016). An appreciative management scale serves as an important tool to assess the skill set for leaders managing teams in today’s changing healthcare environment at both a micro and a macro level using a transformational, positive leadership style. At a micro level, an appreciative management scale informs the developmental needs for leaders at the frontlines of care delivery in several key ways. First, from a recruitment and retention perspective, employees from the millennial generation are seeking a leader who is focused on their personal development as a professional. They want to participate in decisions that affect their work environment. They want their perspective acknowledged and valued. An appreciative management skill set underpins the relationship required for leaders to meet the needs of this new generation of staff. Building an interdisciplinary team starts with a stable workforce that allows team functioning to mature over time. The recruitment and retention of the millennial generation of employees is foundational to successful team structures of the future. Second, from an optimal team functioning perspective, there must be mutual respect, shared knowledge and shared goals amongst team members. Teams must also engage in communication that is accurate, timely, and focused on problem solving. An appreciative management style supports the necessary leader–staff relationship that fosters these

Review: The influence of resonant leadership on the structural empowerment and job satisfaction of registered nurses:

Resonant leadership represents a new and evolving leadership theory whose concepts are relevant to the ever-changing and chaotic environment of healthcare. In organisations in which the presence of resonant leadership has been examined, resonant leaders have been able to produce impressive outcomes by harnessing the power of their people and maintaining the organisation’s mission through times of great uncertainty (Boyatzis and McKee, 2006). The theory of resonant leadership shares similar characteristics with other supportive leadership theories such as positive leadership approaches and motivation through shared vision and inspiration. It is distinguished by its foundation in emotional intelligence. This foundation legitimises self-care as an important leadership attribute that supports improved productivity and resilience within the healthcare team (Boyatzis and McKee, 2006). The relationship between resonant leadership and its influence on structural empowerment and job satisfaction of registered nurses is important to understand. The most widely examined supportive leadership theory in healthcare is transformational leadership. Its contributions to empowerment and job satisfaction of registered nurses is undisputed (Larrabee et al., 2003). In comparison to the theory of resonant leadership, the theory of transformational leadership also focuses on the concern for people and commitment to the organisation’s vision. The foundational concepts of transformational leadership include charisma, individualised consideration and intellectual stimulation (Lower et al., 1996). In contrast to the theory of transformational leadership, the theory of resonant leadership has provision for long-term effectiveness of the leader by focusing on self-care and the ability of the leader to maintain a positive work environment over time (Boyatzis and McKee, 2006).