The role of leadership as a variable factor in the phenomenon of intention to stay of nurses: an integrative review

Purpose: The well-being of nurses in health-care organizations is an increasingly key factor, and the increasing phenomenon of turnover and leaving of the profession by nurses undermines their attractiveness. This integrative review aims to investigate whether the leadership enforced by leaders can influence the intention to stay of their employees and which style of leadership would be most effective in facilitating retention. Design/methodology/approach: This integrative review summarizes the scientific literature of the last 10 years to provide a comprehensive understanding of a leadership style in health-care organizations. The electronic biomedical databases were interviewed by MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus, ERIC and, for grey literature, Google Scholar. The articles included have been submitted to a critical appraisal through the Critical Review Form for Quantitative Studies and the Critical Review Form for Qualitative Studies Version 2.0. Findings: In total, 21 articles of quantitative, qualitative and mixed method research were included, including two doctoral theses and an editorial comment from a scientific journal. Five themes are identified: Leadership style as a predictor of retention, exogenous factors, individual, organizational or endogenous factors, effects of leadership and effective leadership styles. It emerges that the leadership style strongly influences the intention to stay, and the most effective styles for this purpose are supportive, authentic or ethical and transformational. Originality/value: The leader's action influences the phenomenon of intention to stay, and proactive leadership styles contribute to the retention of nurses in their organizations. Transformational leadership appears more flexible and more suitable to favor the intention to stay.