Charlotte H McKay, Joshua M Vaisman, Matthew Salois
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: To examine whether positive leadership behaviors, conceptualized as Psychological Safety, Purpose, Path, Partnership, and Positive Communication, are associated with staff sentiment and practice performance and whether alignment between leaders and staff perceptions matters.
Methods: A voluntary, cross-sectional, 360° leadership survey was conducted across independent veterinary practices, with staff additionally reporting intent to stay and work engagement. Survey data were linked, where available, to practice financial and operational metrics.
Results: In multivariate analyses, higher staff-rated leadership quality was associated with stronger intent to stay and higher engagement, and higher revenue per staff hour was also associated with stronger intent to stay. Indicators of greater workload intensity were associated with lower engagement, suggesting that operational pressures may dampen engagement even in supportive cultures. Further work is needed to determine the impact of positive leadership behaviors on practice financial performance.
Conclusions: Overall, these findings provide 360° insights that leadership as experienced by staff is meaningfully related to engagement and retention intentions in independent veterinary practices. The insights underscore the value of structured staff feedback and leadership development while highlighting the need for longitudinal research to assess downstream financial effects.
Clinical relevance: Misaligned perceptions between staff and independent veterinary practice leaders of leadership behavior may contribute to organizational risk. Investment in and demonstration of positive leadership behaviors can reduce staff turnover, increase staff engagement, and support improved patient care.
期刊介绍：
The American Journal of Veterinary Research supports the collaborative exchange of information between researchers and clinicians by publishing novel research findings that bridge the gulf between basic research and clinical practice or that help to translate laboratory research and preclinical studies to the development of clinical trials and clinical practice. The journal welcomes submission of high-quality original studies and review articles in a wide range of scientific fields, including anatomy, anesthesiology, animal welfare, behavior, epidemiology, genetics, heredity, infectious disease, molecular biology, oncology, pharmacology, pathogenic mechanisms, physiology, surgery, theriogenology, toxicology, and vaccinology. Species of interest include production animals, companion animals, equids, exotic animals, birds, reptiles, and wild and marine animals. Reports of laboratory animal studies and studies involving the use of animals as experimental models of human diseases are considered only when the study results are of demonstrable benefit to the species used in the research or to another species of veterinary interest. Other fields of interest or animals species are not necessarily excluded from consideration, but such reports must focus on novel research findings. Submitted papers must make an original and substantial contribution to the veterinary medicine knowledge base; preliminary studies are not appropriate.
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