COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Reginald Bell

TITLE: FROM INFLUENCE TO EXHAUSTION: HOW LEADERSHIP STYLES PREDICT BURNOUT IN HEALTHCARE LEADERS

ABSTRACT: Burnout among healthcare leaders has become an increase issue due to its potential influence on organizational performance, employee well-being, and quality of patient care. Although previous studies have extensively examined the relationship between leadership styles and employee burnout, limited research has investigated how leaders’ own leadership styles connect to their self-reported burnout. Guided by the Full Range Leadership Theory and the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model, this quantitative correlational study examined the relationships between transformational, transactional, laissez-faire, and e-leadership styles and burnout among healthcare leaders, as measured by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. Primary data were collected through an online survey administered to healthcare leaders using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), and the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and ordered logistic regression to evaluate the relationships between leadership styles and burnout while controlling for demographics characteristics. Moderation analyses were conducted to determine whether organizational culture influenced these relationships. The results indicated that transformational leadership was positively associated with professional burnout, whereas transactional leadership was negatively associated with professional burnout. Leadership styles were not significant predictors of reduced personal accomplishment, and organizational culture demonstrated limited moderating effects, with only a sense of community partially moderating the relationship between transformational leadership and emotional exhaustion. These findings contribute to the leadership literature by shifting the focus from follower burnout to leader burnout and provide practical implications for healthcare organizations seeking to develop leadership strategies that promote leader well-being and organizational effectiveness.

Keywords: Financial risk aversion, financial sustainability, organizational growth, Black-led nonprofit organizations, nonprofit leadership, Prospect Theory, Resource Dependence Theory, Leadership Identity Theory

Room Location: Northwest Campus, Room 204