The impact of ethical leadership on turnover intention in the health sector

Abstract

In healthcare organizations, retaining a skilled workforce is crucial, especially given the ongoing global shortages in healthcare resources. The deficit in the nursing workforce is a pressing social concern that requires urgent attention. Although the complexity of healthcare sector is widely recognized, it is important to address this ongoing problem, as turnover is known to have detrimental effects on organizations. This study examines the impact of ethical leadership on turnover intention among nurses, while also evaluating the mediating roles of work engagement and organizational citizenship behavior within this relationship. The hypothesized model was tested in healthcare organizations in Portugal, with data collected over a period of five months. A total of 115 nurses participated in this research by answering an online survey. Using Hayes9 PROCESS macro, we analyzed all the direct and indirect paths, including sequential mediation. The findings suggest that ethical leadership is crucial in decreasing turnover intention, however the role of OCB as a mediating variable in this context was not a strong predictor of employees9 intention to leave. The study discusses its theoretical and practical implications in relation to the findings, while also addressing limitations and proposing directions for future research.

Date of Award	13 Dec 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Teresa Almeida (Supervisor)