Relationship of Application of Visionary Leadership and Staff Nurses’ Intention to Remain at the Workplace: A Quasi-Experimental Correlational Study

Abstract

Background: Application of visionary leadership in nursing units is expected to support staff nurses through clearer direction, meaningful communication, shared goals, and a more stable work climate. Retention of nurses is not achieved by policy alone; it is also shaped by how staff experience their immediate leaders in daily practice. In Saudi healthcare settings, where workforce transformation and nursing retention are strategic concerns, the relationship between staff-rated visionary leadership and intention to remain at the workplace deserves focused examination.

Aim: To examine the relationship between application of visionary leadership, as evaluated by staff nurses, and staff nurses’ intention to remain at the workplace after implementation of a Visionary Leadership Education Program (VLEP).

Design/Methods: A quasi-experimental correlational analysis was conducted within a pretest-posttest educational intervention study in a tertiary maternity hospital in Taif, Saudi Arabia. The total study sample comprised 35 head nurses/nurse managers who attended the VLEP and 255 staff nurses who evaluated their managers’ visionary leadership behaviours and reported retention-related loyalty. Four tools were used in the parent study: a visionary leadership knowledge questionnaire, a leadership competency scale, a staff evaluation of visionary leadership scale, and a staff loyalty scale. In this manuscript, staff loyalty is interpreted as retention-related intention because it includes sense of ownership, willingness to stay, and trust.

Results: Staff nurses’ evaluation of visionary leadership increased from M = 41.93 to M = 53.09 out of 70 after the program (mean difference = 11.16; 95% CI 10.76-11.56; t = 53.72; p < .001). Staff retention-related loyalty increased from M = 34.71 to M = 46.93 out of 65 (mean difference = 12.22; 95% CI 11.69-12.75; t = 56.40; p < .001). Staff evaluation of visionary leadership correlated positively with staff retention-related loyalty (r = .677, p < .001), indicating a strong relationship. In simple regression, visionary leadership evaluation explained approximately 45.8% of the variance in staff retention-related loyalty (R2 = .458, F(1,253) = 214.07, p < .001).

Conclusion: Application of visionary leadership was strongly and positively associated with staff nurses’ intention to remain at the workplace. The findings suggest that when head nurses apply visionary leadership behaviours in a visible manner, staff nurses may be more likely to report loyalty, trust, ownership, and willingness to stay.

Recommendations: Nursing directors and education departments should integrate visionary leadership application into head nurse development programs and link leadership evaluation to retention-supportive indicators, including willingness to stay, work climate, and staff trust.