Head Nurses’ Power Sources and Its Effect on Staff Nurses’ Administrative Empowerment and Creativity

Abstract

Background : Nursing profession requires strong effective nursing leaders to establish a healthy work environment through exercising various forms of power sources to influence their staff nurses and encourage their administrative empowerment and creativity. Aim: Study head nurses’ power sources and its effect on staff nurses’ administrative empowerment and creativity. Methods: Descriptive correlational design was used. Setting & Subjects: All (n=275) staff nurses working in the Intensive Care Units at Tanta University International Teaching Hospital. Tools: Three tools were utilized for data collection, Head Nurses Power Sources, Administrative Empowerment, and Administrative Creativity Scale. Results: The highest mean score of staff nurses’ perception about head nurses’ power sources was legitimate power followed by reward, expert, referent power and lastly the lowest mean score was coercive power. Also, most of staff nurses perceived a moderate level of administrative empowerment and creativity. Conclusion : There was a statistically significant positive correlation between head nurses’ power sources (legitimate, reward, expert and referent power) except coercive power had negative correlation with staff nurses' administrative empowerment and creativity. Recommendations: According to the findings, hospital administration need to maintain continuous offering staff development and training program to enforce head nurses leading role to be able to enhance their staff nurses’ administrative empowerment and creativity.