THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEADERSHIP STYLES AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE WITHIN SCHOOLS OF NURSING

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between leadership styles and organizational culture within schools of nursing. A non-probability convenience sample (N=149) of subjects was obtained from BSN schools of nursing within the Southern Regional Education Board geographical area. Three data collection tools were utilized including a demographic questionnaire; the Multi-factor Leadership Questionnaire (Bass & Avolio) which measures transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles; and the Organizational Culture Assessment Inventory (Cameron & Quinn) which measures four culture types including clan, market, adhocracy and hierarchy cultures. A descriptive – correlational design was used. Inferential statistics utilized included multiple regressions using analysis of variance and Pearson’s correlations. Significant relationships were evidenced as follows: the main research questions demonstrated that there were statistically significant relationships between the three leadership styles (transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire) and school organizational culture. With each regression analysis, based on the significance of the beta coefficient parameter estimate, the results showed that measures for transformationa