The effect of nurse managers' servant leadership on nurses' innovative behaviors and job performances

PurposeThis study aims to determine the effect of servant leadership on nurses' innovative behavior and job performance and to examine the moderator role of servant leadership in the relationship between nurses' innovative behavior and job performance based on the self-determination theory and social exchange theory.Design/methodology/approachThis correlational study included 885 nurses selected from three public hospitals in Istanbul using the convenience sampling method. Data were analyzed using descriptive tests, correlation analysis and linear and hierarchical regression analyses.FindingsThe nurse managers' servant leadership behaviors were statistically significantly related with the nurses' innovative behaviors and job performances: servant leadership behaviors of the nurse managers increased the nurses' innovative behaviors and job performances and found to partially play a role of a moderator in the effect of nurses' innovative behaviors on job performance.Practical implicationsThis study shows that positive nurse outcomes will be achieved when nurse managers show an ethical, humanistic, empathic, mutual benefit and service-oriented approach and adopt a servant leadership approach as appropriate to the nature of nursing.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by revealing the effect of nurse managers' servant leadership on nurses' innovative behavior and job performance, as well as the partial moderator role of servant leadership, which has not been studied before as a part of the relationship between innovative behavior and job performance.