A meta-analytic path analysis on the outcome variables of nursing unit managers’ transformational leadership: Systemic review and meta-analysis

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the outcome variables of nursing unit managers’ transformational leadership and to test a hypothetical model using meta-analytic path analysis. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Data analysis, conducted using R version 3.6.2 software, included 49 studies for the meta-analysis and 119 studies for meta-analytic path analysis. Results: In the meta-analysis, four out of 32 outcome variables were selected. These four variables were empowerment, nursing performance, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment, which showed larger effect sizes than the median and more than five k. The hypothetical model for the meta-analytic path analysis was established by using these four variables and transformational leadership. A total of 22 hypothetical paths including nine direct effects and 13 indirect effects were set and tested. The meta-analytic path analysis showed that transformational leadership had direct effects on the four variables. Finally, eight direct effects, 12 indirect effects, and six mediating effects were statistically significant, and the hypothetical model was verified. Conclusion: Nursing unit managers can use the transformational leadership to improve empowerment, nursing performance, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment of nurses. This study empirically showed the importance of transformational leadership of nursing man-agers. This finding will be used as evidence to develop strategies for enhancing transformational leadership, empowerment, nursing performance, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment in nursing science and practice.