• Laschinger Heather K Spence HK School of Nursing, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. hkl@uwo.ca, Nancy Purdy, and Joan Almost.
• School of Nursing, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. hkl@uwo.ca
• J Nurs Adm. 2007 May 1; 37 (5): 221-9.

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study is to test a theoretical model linking nurse managers' perceptions of the quality of the relationship with their supervisors, and empowerment to job satisfaction, and to examine the effect of a personal dispositional variable, core self-evaluation, on the relationships among these variables.Background DataNursing leadership roles have been transformed as a result of dramatic changes within healthcare in the past decade, yet research on the nature of nurse manager work life in current work environments is limited.MethodsA nonexperimental, predictive design was used in a sample of 141 hospital-based nurse managers obtained from a provincial registry.ResultsApproximately 40.4% of the variance in job satisfaction was explained by leader-member exchange quality (LMX), empowerment, and core self-evaluation.ConclusionHigher quality relationships with their immediate supervisor were associated with greater manager structural and psychological empowerment and, consequently, greater job satisfaction. Core self-evaluation played a strong significant role, affecting all components of the model. The results suggest that both situational and personal factors are important determinants of satisfying work environments for nurse managers.

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