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

The demanding nature of nursing work environments signals longstanding and growing concerns about nurses' health and job satisfaction and the provision of quality care. Specifically in healthcare settings, nurse leaders play an essential role in creating supportive work environments to avert these negative trends and increase nurse job satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of managers' resonant leadership on nurses' structural empowerment and job satisfaction. A secondary analysis of data collected from a cross-sectional survey design of 1216 registered nurses from nine Canadian provinces was conducted. Structural empowerment partially mediated the relationship between resonant leadership and job satisfaction. Resonant leadership and structural empowerment explained a total of 36% of the variance in job satisfaction while controlling for age, education and work setting (F-(5,F- 1169)=131.78, p<0.001). Findings suggested that resonant leaders are instrumental in creating empowering environments that contribute to higher job satisfaction in nursing. Therefore, a focus on developing resonant leadership skills among nurse leaders in healthcare organisations will advance the creation of healthy work environments that promote job satisfaction and the retention of nurses.