Management Style and Staff Nurse Job Satisfaction in Rural Community Hospitals : a Descriptive Study

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between management style and staff nurse job satisfaction in rural community hospitals. The research questions were: 1) What is the difference between the staff nurses\u27 perceived and preferred management style of the managers? 2) What is the relationship between the level of education of the staff nurses and the preferred management style? 3) What is the relationship between perceived management style and staff nurse job satisfaction? This descriptive research utilized 3 instruments: a demographic information sheet, the Profile of Organizational Characteristics, and the Job Descriptive Index. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 87 registered nurses who were employed in two rural, community hospitals. Data were analyzed using the statistical Analysis system (SAS). There was a significant difference in staff nurses perceived and preferred management styles (P\u3c0.000l). While they perceived a benevolent-authoritative style of management, they preferred the participative management style. There were no significant correlations between staff nurse level of education and preferred management style (x2=.453, p\u3c0.797). However, there was a significant correlation between job satisfaction and perceived ·management style (p\u3c.000l). Implications for nursing leadership, education and research are discussed. Furthermore, topics for future research in areas of job satisfaction and management style are identified