The association of leadership with nurses' turnover intention: A two-wave cross-sectional study

Background Destructive leadership, particularly exploitative leadership (leaders benefiting themselves at the expense of followers), has received limited attention in nursing research. Moreover, the fundamental mechanisms and boundary conditions associated with exploitative leadership that trigger turnover intention have also been neglected. Aim Based on the conservation of resources theory, we explored how exploitative leadership was associated with nurses’ turnover intention through emotional exhaustion and further looked into the moderating effect of emotional intelligence on the relationship between emotional exhaustion and turnover intention. Methods This was a cross-sectional study, with a survey carried out between January and March 2024. Setting(s) Data were gathered at two intervals from nurses ( N = 361) across 10 hospitals, both public and private, in five cities (four provincial capitals and one federal capital) in Pakistan. Structural equation modeling was carried out to evaluate the proposed mediation and moderation effects. Results We identified a statistically-significant positive association between exploitative leadership and both turnover intention and emotional exhaustion among nurses. Furthermore, emotional exhaustion partially mediated the relationship between exploitative leadership and turnover intention, and emotional intelligence weakened the relationship between emotional exhaustion and turnover intention. Conclusions Exploitative leadership was associated with adverse effects among nurses, manifested as emotional exhaustion and turnover intention; nevertheless, these detrimental events may be mitigated through nurses’ emotional intelligence. Implications for Nursing Management Training programs might be considered, arranged for nursing leaders with a focus on cultivating leadership abilities, and for nurses with a focus on emotional intelligence and stress management to equip them to combat emotional exhaustion.