Leadership Practices as Perceived by Emergency Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Structural and Psychological Empowerment.

INTRODUCTION: To our knowledge, no studies have explored leadership practices in relation to structural and psychological empowerment among nurses during COVID-19. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine those relationships in Jordanian nurses working in emergency departments during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A descriptive, correlational cross-sectional design was used in this study. The participants were emergency nurses working at 3 large hospitals in Jordan. The participants were surveyed via an online questionnaire between September 2021 and January 2022. A total of 3 valid scales were included in the questionnaire to assess the nurses' clinical leadership practices in relation to perceived structural and psychological empowerment. RESULTS: A total of 193 emergency nurses were surveyed, of which 116 participants (60.1%) were male, and their average age was 29.64 (SD 4.74) years. Nurses had a moderate level of clinical leadership practices 12.50 (SD 1.65), moderate level of perceived structural empowerment 3.67 (SD 0.44), and a high-moderate level of perceived psychological empowerment 5.96 (SD 0.65). Clinical leadership practices were shown to have a significant positive relationship with structural (r = 0.65; P < .01) and psychological (r = 0.74; P < .01) empowerment. Predictors of clinical leadership practices of the Jordanian emergency nurses during COVID-19 were ranked in order of significance; structural and psychological empowerments were the highest significant predictors. However, patient to nurse ratio (>6 patients/nurse) was the lowest significant predictor. DISCUSSION: Although structural and psychological empowerments play a pivotal role in predicting the leadership practices of the emergency nurses in Jordan, the nurses should enhance their leadership style for better management and effective communication during critical situations such as pandemics.

How Transformational Leaders Are Engaged in Work Settings During Episode of Covid-19? Exploring Mediating Effects of Structural Empowerment and Process Innovation

In this modern world with the growing trend of globalization, cultural and environmental changes, and the increased pace of technological advancements, new challenges have appeared in a tremendous manner. In the wake of these recent trends and complexities alongside the worldwide pandemic (COVID-19), organizations are working to provide a self-motivated and highly engaging environment for employees. The study intends to explore the relationship between Transformational Leadership (TFL) and Work Engagement (WE) with the mediating role of Structural Empowerment (SE) and Process Innovation (PI) during COVID-19. The quantitative research methodology was utilized and a simple random sampling technique was used for collection of data from 360 supervisors of banks in Pakistan using questionnaires. Hypotheses are tested with the help of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) by using AMOS. By using SEM, confirmatory factor analysis revealed a statistically significant model. Outcomes showed a significant connection among TFL, WE, and PI. However, SE only significantly relates to TFL. Partial mediation through PI was discovered with the presence of a significant indirect path between TFL and WE. In contrast, the mediation of SE is not ascertained due to insignificant indirect effects. The digitally evolving banking industry in Pakistan requires engagement at workplace. The organization must be very much aware of the crucial job of leaders for WE as well as for PI just as the SE of employees. The findings of the study also highlight the importance of best HR practices that should work for creating intangible motivators for boosting WE level. © The Author(s) 2022.