Leader communication approaches and patient safety: An integrated model.
BACKGROUND
Leader communication is known to influence a number of employee behaviors. When it comes to the relationship between leader communication and safety, the evidence is more scarce and ambiguous. The aim of the present study is to investigate whether and in what way leader communication relates to safety outcomes. The study examines two leader communication approaches: leader safety priority communication and feedback to subordinates. These approaches were assumed to affect safety outcomes via different employee behaviors.


METHODS
Questionnaire data, collected from 221 employees at two hospital wards, were analyzed using structural equation modeling.


RESULTS
The two examined communication approaches were both positively related to safety outcomes, although leader safety priority communication was mediated by employee compliance and feedback communication by organizational citizenship behaviors.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that leader communication plays a vital role in improving organizational and patient safety and that different communication approaches seem to positively affect different but equally essential employee safety behaviors.


CONCLUSIONS
The results highlights the necessity for leaders to engage in one-way communication of safety values as well as in more relational feedback communication with their subordinates in order to enhance patient safety.
Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: malin.mattson@psychology.su.se.
Malin
M
Mattson
Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden; Work Well: Research unit for Economic and Management Sciences, North-West University, South Africa. Electronic address: jhn@psychology.su.se.
Johnny
J
Hellgren
Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: sagn@psychology.su.se.
Sara
S
Göransson
D003142:Communication; D005246:Feedback; D006739:Hospital Administration; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D061214:Patient Safety
Incident reporting; Organizational citizenship behavior; Safety compliance; Safety performance