The Relationship Between Managers’ Leadership Styles and Registered Nurses’ Job Satisfaction and Work Engagement: A Cross‐Sectional Study in the United Arab Emirates

Background: Supportive leadership styles in nurse managers boost nurses’ satisfaction, commitment, and retention, reducing burnout and enhancing productivity. In contrast, ineffective leadership styles lower job satisfaction and engagement, leading to poor performance. This study aims to assess the relationship between nurse managers’ leadership styles and registered nurses’ job satisfaction and work engagement. Methods: A cross‐sectional study was deployed. Two hundred and forty‐one participants were recruited using convenient sampling. Data were gathered through a demographic questionnaire, the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ), the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ‐5X). Results: Common leadership styles among nurses included management by exception (passive) (2.39 ± 0.97), laissez‐faire (2.30 ± 1.07), and idealized attributes (2.04 ± 1.03). Job satisfaction was medium in intrinsic, extrinsic, and general satisfaction, while very low and low patterns were common in the total score and domains of vigor, absorption, and dedication of work engagement. Compared with males, females reported a higher general satisfaction score (3.46 ± 1.00 vs. 2.61 ± 1.08, p < 0.001) and a higher total work engagement score (3.57 ± 1.74 vs. 2.28 ± 1.63, p < 0.001). Leadership styles significantly correlated with job satisfaction and work engagement, with the highest correlation between inspirational motivation and intrinsic satisfaction ( r = 0.665, p ≤ 0.01) and between inspirational motivation and vigor domain ( r = 0.775, p ≤ 0.01). Furthermore, leadership styles functioned as a predictor of general satisfaction ( R 2 = 0.508) and total score of work engagement ( R 2 = 0.543). Conclusion: This study highlights the complex interplay between leadership styles, job satisfaction, and work engagement among registered nurses. Policymakers and healthcare leaders should use the study results to implement policies that consider the negative and positive effects of leadership styles in enhancing job satisfaction and work engagement. They should prioritize training and specialized courses for the currently hired nurse managers.