Differences in humble leadership and team performance in nursing: an online cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES: The current study measures the differences in humble leadership and team performance in nursing based on the sample’s characteristics. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: In 2022, the current study sample was recruited from governmental and private universities and hospitals using an online survey. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience snowball sample of 251 nursing educators, nurses and students was recruited. RESULTS: A leader’s humble leadership, a team’s humble leadership and overall humble leadership were at moderate levels. The overall mean team performance was ‘working well’. The single male humble leaders, aged more than 35 years and working full-time in an organisation with quality initiatives, have a higher leader’s humble leadership. Members of the team aged more than 35 years working full-time in organisations with quality initiatives have a higher team’s humble leadership. Team performance in organisations with quality initiatives was higher in resolving many conflicts by compromising between team members, with each one giving in a little. There was a moderate correlation (r=0.644) between the total scores of the overall humble leadership and team performance. Humble leadership correlated significantly but negatively and weakly with quality initiatives (r=−0.169) and the participant’s role (r=−0.163). There was no significant correlation between team performance and the sample’s characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Humble leadership has positive outcomes, such as team performance. The shared sample characteristic that sets the differences between a leader’s and a team’s humble leadership and team performance was the presence of quality initiatives in the organisation. The shared sample characteristics that set the differences in a leader’s and a team’s humble leadership were working full-time and the presence of quality initiatives in the organisation. Humble leaders are contagious; they will produce creative team members by ‘social contagion’, ‘behavioural similarity’, ‘team potency’ and ‘collective focus’. Thus, leadership protocols and interventions are mandated to fuel humble leadership and team performance.