Relationship between Toxic Leadership and Work Outcomes: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Leadership has become an essential issue for health care organizations; leader is expected to be the role model of ethical behavior and protagonist of values for their nurses. Absence of ethical behaviors from leaders is known to be very costly for health settings. Toxic leadership behaviors have a negative impact that affect nurses work outcome. Aim: To investigate the relationship between toxic leadership as perceived by staff nurses and work outcomes. Research design: A cross-sectional quantitative research design. Setting: The study was carried out in all in-patient care units at Shoubrakhit General Hospital. Subjects: All target population of staff nurses (n=475) who were working in the previously mentioned settings for not less than six months and available during the time of data collection. Tools: Tool I: The Toxic Leadership Scale. Tool II: Work outcomes Scale. Results: There was a statistically significant negative correlation between nursing leaders' toxic leadership as perceived by studied nurses and overall work outcomes, where P =0.018. Conclusion: The study concluded that there was a statistically significant negative correlation between perceived toxic leadership and work outcomes. Recommendations: The health care organizations should establish leadership training programs and workshops to provide nursing leaders and supervisors with the leadership skills and practices that they need to perform their roles in effective manner to enhance work outcomes.