The effect of work-stress and emotional intelligence on self-leadership amongst nurses in leadership positions in the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in Lesotho
Mokuoane, Motselisi Lucy
English: Self-leadership is a process of self-influence towards achieving an optimal state of motivation and self direction needed to perform what one sees as necessary and unavoidable. The self-leadership process includes mental, cognitive and behavioural strategies that give strength, purpose, meaning and direction to the effort, towards improving effectiveness in performing tasks (Neck & Houghton, 2006). Mental imagery and self-talks will also be employed. Natural reward strategies concern self search and the promotion of pleasant and enjoyable feelings directly related to the job. In constructive thought pattern strategies, an individual will assess thoughts to determine whether beliefs and assumptions are positive. An individual with self-leadership will use behavioural strategies to encourage positive behaviours, and to curtail negative behaviours that affect success at work (Neck & Houghton, 2006). The current work environment increasingly requires independent individuals who are able to take initiative and make responsible decisions in settings where they are not always supported by hierarchical superiors. In this context, the concept of self-leadership has been linked to professional and personal effectiveness. However, a further clarification of the self-leadership concept, as well as the factors that impact on its effectiveness, is needed. The main purpose of this study was to investigate factors that impact on individual’s self-leadership. The study investigated the effect that work-stress and emotional intelligence has on self-leadership. For this purpose, a comprehensive literature review on self-leadership, work-stress and emotional intelligence was presented. Futhermore, a sample of one-hundred and fifty five (155) nursing leaders working at the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare was selected. Self-leadership was measured using the Revised Self-leadership Questionnaire, while work-stress was measured using the Experience of Work and Life Circumstances Questionnaire, and the Emotional Intelligence Index was used to measure emotional intelligence. The study utilised multiple stepwise regression to predict which variables of work-stress and emotional intelligence affect employees’ self-leadership amongst nursing leadership in the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in Lesotho. The results indicated that there is a generally positive relationship between work-stress and self-leadership. This means that individuals experiencing work-stress will exhibit greater use of self-leadership skills. Some of work-stress sub-dimensions that lead to self-leadership are task charactiristics, physical working conditions and social matters. These sub-dimensions enhance self-leadership skills such as self-goal setting, self-talk and evaluating beliefs and assumptions, respectively. It was also found that self-leadership is negatively influeced by emotional intelligence in most cases. High scores in emotional intelligence skills such as self-regulation, motivation and empathy lead to lower scores in self-leadership skills such as self-observation, self-punishment and self-reward. It is in the light of these results that the null hypothesis 1 of this study was rejected, and the alternative hypothesis 1 namely, the varience in self-leadership scores can be statistically explained by work-stress and emotional intelligence amongst nurses in leadership positions in the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, was accepted. The independent t-test was used to determine if there are age differences with regard to self-leadership amongst nursing leadership. The results show that there are no statistically significant age differences with regard to self-leadership among nurses in leadership positions in the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in Lesotho. The null hypothesis 2 namely , there is no statistical significant difference in the scores achieved on self-leadership with regards to age of nurses in leadership positions in the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in Lesotho, is not rejected. General and specific recommendations for this study were made.
Afrikaans: Selfleierskap is ‘n proses van selfbeïnvloeding om ‘n optimale staat van motivering en selfdireksie te bewerkstellig wat benodig word vir die uitvoering van take wat as nodig en onvermydelik beskou word. Die selfleierskap proses sluit verstandelike, kognitiewe en gedragstrategieë in, wat sterkte, deursettingsvermoë, doel, betekenis en effektiewe rigtinggewing in die uitvoer van take, gee (Neck & Houghton, 2006). ‘n Individu met selfleierskap sal gedragstrategieë gebruik om positiewe gedrag aan te moedig en sal negatiewe gedrag inperk om sukses in die werkplek te beïnvloed. In konstruktiewe denkpatroon-strategieë, sal ‘n individu sy/haar denke evalueer om te kan bepaal of oortuigings en afleidings positief is.Denkbeeldige voorstellings en selfpraat sal ook toegepas word. Natuurlike vergoedingstrategieë wat fokus op selfondersoek en die bevordering van aangename en genotvolle gevoelens wat direk verband hou met die werk, sal ook geimplementeer word (Neck & Houghton, 2006). Die huidige arbeidsmark vereis toenemend onafhanklike individue, wat in staat is om inisiatief en verantwoordelike besluite te neem, in omstandighede waar hul nie noodwendig deur hoër hiërargiese vlakke ondersteun word nie. In hierdie konteks is die konsepvan selfleierskap al aan professionele en persoonlike effektiwiteit gekoppel. Daar bestaan egter ‘n behoefte aan verdere opklaring oor die begrip selfleierskap,asook ʼn verklaring van die faktore wat ‘n impak op die effektiwiteit van selfleierskap kan hê (Stewart et al., 2011). Die hoofdoel van dienavorsing was die ondersoek na die faktore wat ‘n impak op die individu se selfleierskap vermoëns het. Die ondersoek sluit ook die effek wat werkstres en emosionele intelligensie op selfleierskap het, in. Vir die doel van die studie word dus ‘n omvattende ondersoek na selfleierskap, werkstres en emosionele intelligensie gedoen. ʼn Omvattende literatuurstudie is gedoen. Verder is ‘n steekproef van honderd vyf -en vyftig verpleegsters, werksaam vir die Ministerie van Gesondheid en Sosiale Welsyn, gebruik. Selfleierskap is gemeet deur gebruik te maak van die Hersiene Selfleierskapvraelys, terwyl werkstres gemeet is deur van die Ervaring van Werk en Lewens Omstandighede Vraelys, gebruik te maak. Die Emosionele Intelligensie Indeks is gebruik om emosionele intelligensie te meet. Stapsgewyse meervoudige regressie-ontledings is gebruik om te bepaal watter veranderlikes van werkstres en emosionale intelligensie, selfleierskap by verpleesters in leiersposisies, beïnvloed. Resultate het aangetoon dat daar ‘n positiewe verband tussen werkstres en selfleierskap bestaan. Dit beteken dat individue wat werkstres ervaar waarskynlik meer van selfleierskap vaardighede sal gebruik maak. Werkstres dimensies wat tot selfleierskap aanleiding gee sluit taakeienskappe, fisiese werksomstandighede en sosiale aangeleenthede, in. Hierdie werkstres dimensies het selfleierskap vaardighede soos selfdoelwitstelling, selfpraat en evaluering van houdings en aannames, bevorder. Daar is ook bevind dat selfleierskap in meeste gevalle negatief deur emosionele intelligensie beinvloed is. Hoë tellings op emosionele intelligensie vaardighede soos selfregulering, motivering en empatie, het gelei tot laer tellings op selfleierskap vaardighede soos self-observering, self straf en self vergoeding. In die lig hiervan, is die nul hipotese 1 van die studie verwerp en die alternatiewe hipotese 1aanvaar. Die alternatiewe hipotese 1 lui soos volg: die variansie in selfleierskap tellings kan statisties deur werkstres en emosionele intelligensie by verpleegsters in leierskaposisies werksaam by die Ministerie van Gesondheid en Sosiale Welsyn in Lesotho, verklaar word. ‘n Onafhanklike t-toets is uitgevoer om te bepaal of daar verskille in terme van ouderdom met betrekking tot selfleierskaptellings, by verpleegsters in leierskapposisies, bestaan. Resultate het aangedui dat geen statisties beduidende ouderdomsverskille met betrekking tot selfleierskap by verpleegsters in leierskapposisies, bestaan nie. Die nul hipotese 2, naamlik dat daar geen statistiese verskille in tellings behaal op selfleierskap met betrekking tot verpleegsters in leierskapposisies werksaam vir die Ministerie van Gesondheid en Sosiale Welsyn in Lesotho, is dus nie verwerp nie. Algemene en spesifieke aanbevelings vir die studie is gemaak.