Leader Humility and Affective Commitment: A Cross‐Sectional Study Among Hospital Nursing Teams

Aim: To examine in hospitals whether head nurses’ humility impacts nurses’ affective commitment and explore the role of safety, trust, and participative communication. Design: A cross-sectional survey design. Methods: In 2023, we assessed the perceptions of 536 nurses, nested in 103 wards of 12 hospitals. The data were analyzed using multilevel structural equation modeling. Results: In line with our conceptual model, head nurses’ humble leadership are positively associated with a psychological safety climate at the ward. Both humble leadership and a psychological safety climate are positively associated with nurses’ trust in the head nurse, which, in turn, is positively associated with nurses’ voice behavior and their feeling of being heard (i.e., participative communication). Finally, nurses’ feelings of being heard is positively associated with nurses’ affective commitment, while – in contrast to our hypotheses – nurses’ voice behavior is not. Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of a leadership approach that contrasts with traditional power-oriented leadership styles. Head nurses in hospitals demonstrating humble leadership behaviors (e.g., appreciating others, acknowledging weaknesses), and fostering a psychologically safe environment, can build trust, encourage open communication, and make nurses feel heard. This, in turn, can enhance nurses’ affective commitment to their hospital. Feeling genuinely heard when speaking up is significantly more impactful than merely voicing concerns. Implications for the profession: Nurses are confronted with increasing work pressure weighing in on their affective commitment. The findings indicate that when head nurses acknowledge their limitations, ask for feedback, and empower nurses in their ward, it can help build nurses’ affective commitment through safety, trust, and participative communication. Reporting method: This study adhered to the cross-sectional Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines.