Healthcare organizations face critical challenges, including nurse shortages and staff turnover. Faced with rising turnover following the COVID-19 pandemic, many providers are seeking proven methods to build a more stable workforce. This research examined the missing evidence on how perceived inclusive leadership relates to nurses’ desire to continue working at a single faith-based medical center in the Midwest. Inclusive leadership involves actions that support fairness, recognize individual differences, and help people feel they belong. It is increasingly seen as a factor that can boost employee engagement and encourage staff to stay. Researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey using the validated Inclusive Leadership Questionnaire (ILQ). The survey was distributed to a convenience sample of frontline nurses and nurse managers working in one hospital. Nurses rated their leaders’ behaviors, while managers evaluated how well the organization supported these efforts. In total, seventy-one responses were collected and analyzed (59 from nurses and 12 from managers). Scores from the ILQ were grouped and summarized by their main dimension categories. Statistical relationships among how leadership was viewed, levels of inclusivity, and nurses’ plans to stay were tested using one-way analysis of variance on ILQ scores and nurses’ own reports of their intent to stay.
The analysis found that nurses who experienced higher levels of inclusive leadership were significantly more likely to report that they intended to stay with the organization (P = 0.01). This connection was particularly strong for those with longer years of service. The highest-scoring areas were belonging and individual support, while team integration and fairness across different groups were flagged as needing the most attention and improvement. Nurse managers described the organization’s backing for inclusive leadership practices as only moderate. Overall, the findings suggest that inclusive leadership serves as a useful and practical way to strengthen nurses’ intention to remain in their roles. By weaving inclusive habits into leadership training and ensuring organizational systems fully support them, healthcare institutions can foster deeper staff loyalty and better manage the ongoing challenges of maintaining an adequate workforce.
