Leadership Styles of The Nurse Managers on The Turnover Intention of Staff Nurses in Private Hospitals

Leadership style plays a vital role in influencing nurse retention, job satisfaction, and commitment. In the context of private hospitals in Midsayap, North Cotabato, Philippines nurse turnover remains a pressing concern. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2024 to identify and quantify coefficients of determination of the indicators that are linked to leadership from a survey approach to observe the relationships between n=123 nurses’ personal characteristics, their nurse managers’ leadership styles, and their turnover intentions. The coefficients measured the respondents perceptions of leadership styles—covering idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individual consideration, contingent reward, management by exception, and laissez-faire—as well as turnover intention. Demographic data were also collected. The results presented that most respondents were young, single, female, and held bachelor’s degrees. Leadership styles were generally rated high, except for laissez-faire, which was moderate. Turnover intention was also moderate. Significant correlations were found between educational attainment and job position with turnover intention. Among leadership styles, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, contingent reward, and laissez-faire were significantly related to turnover intention. These findings affirm the relevance of Transformational and Transactional Leadership Theories in the healthcare setting. Leadership qualities, particularly those that inspire, stimulate, and reward staff, can help reduce turnover intention. Based on these insights, a leadership enhancement and management plan was proposed to strengthen nurse retention strategies.