The relationship of head nurse leadership style to staff nurse job satisfaction was investigated using the leadership paradigm of transformational and transactional leadership. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and the Index of Work Satisfaction were completed by 122 staff nurses employed throughout acute care community hospitals in many patient care areas. Correlations showed a significant positive relationship between those head nurses exhibiting a transformational leadership style and the job satisfaction of their staff nurses. Today's health care environment demands leaders who inspire others with the vision of what can be accomplished.
Transformational leadership represents a paradigm shift with regard to the study of leadership.
TF leadership, on the other hand, can move groups to search for longer term solutions by addressing individuals' higher order needs. As long as standards are being met, the TA leader does not intervene. The TF leader motivates by increasing confidence and elevating the value of work-related outcomes for subordinates. Charisma is the quality central to TF leaders, as followers want to identify with them, develop intense feelings about them, and trust them. The result of TF leadership is an employee who performs and achieves far beyond work expectations.