Effects of nurse managers' inclusive leadership on nurses' psychological safety and innovative work behavior: The moderating role of collectivism

Abstract

Introduction: In the rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, the capacity to foster innovative work behavior among nurses is increasingly important. This study examined the dynamics between inclusive leadership, psychological safety, collectivism, and innovative work behavior among nurses.

Design: The study used a cross-sectional, correlational design.

Methods: This study utilized data from 730 medical-surgical nurses who provided direct care to patients. Standardized instruments were used to assess key study variables. Statistical analyses, including moderated mediation regressions, were employed to investigate the complex interplay among these variables.

Results: We found a positive association between inclusive leadership and innovative work behavior, and psychological safety mediated this relationship. Collectivism moderated inclusive leadership's direct relationship with psychological safety and its indirect relationship with innovative work behavior. The results revealed that nurses with lower levels of collectivism were more responsive to their managers' inclusive behaviors, strengthening the relation between inclusive leadership, psychological safety, and innovative work behavior.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that promoting inclusive leadership behaviors among nurse managers to create a psychologically safe environment can motivate nurses to engage in innovative work behavior. However, it is also important to understand that the effectiveness of leadership may differ depending on the collectivist values of individual nurses.

Clinical relevance: Nurse managers should adopt inclusive leadership behaviors, such as valuing trust, open communication, and diversity, in order to foster psychological safety and innovative work behavior among nurses.