Asian Nursing Research 12 (2018) 99e105

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Asian Nursing Research

journal homepage: www.asian-nursingresearch.com

Research Article

Effects of the Educational Leadership of Nursing Unit Managers on

Team Effectiveness: Mediating Effects of Organizational
Communication
Eun Ha Choi,1 Eun-Kyung Kim,2, *, * Pil Bong Kim3
1
Department of Nursing, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
2
Department of Nursing, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
3
Department of Community Mental Health Care, Chungcheongbuk-do Regional Mental Health Welfare Center, Cheongju, Republic of Korea

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Purpose: This study identifies the effects of the educational leadership of nursing unit managers on team
Received 7 December 2017 effectiveness and the mediating effects of organizational communication satisfaction; it highlights the
Received in revised form importance of educational leadership and organizational communication and provides the data needed
2 March 2018
to enhance the education capacity of managers.
Accepted 22 March 2018
Methods: The participants were 216 nurses working at unit with nursing unit managers of staff nurses at a
tertiary hospital located in Cheongju city, South Korea, and nurses who had worked for more than 6 months
Keywords:
at the same unit. This study was conducted using questionnaires on educational leadership, team effec-
communication
leadership
tiveness, and organizational communication satisfaction. Data analysis was performed with a t test,
nurse administrators analysis of variance, Scheffe  test, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and simple and multiple regression
analyses using SPSS, version 23.0. Mediation analysis was tested using Baron and Kenny's regression
analysis and a Sobel test.
Results: The mean score for the educational leadership of nursing unit managers was 3.74 (±0.68); for
organizational communication satisfaction, 3.14 (±0.51); and for team effectiveness, 3.52 (±0.49).
Educational leadership was significantly positively correlated with team effectiveness and organizational
communication satisfaction. Organizational communication satisfaction demonstrated a complete
mediating effect on the relationship between educational leadership and team effectiveness (b ¼ .61,
p < .001) and was significant (Sobel test; Z ¼ 7.40, p < .001).
Conclusion: The results indicate that the educational leadership of nursing unit managers increases
communication satisfaction among nurses; this supports the idea that educational leadership can
contribute to team effectiveness. This suggests that the educational leadership and communication ca-
pacity of nursing unit managers must be improved to enhance the performance of nursing organizations.
© 2018 Korean Society of Nursing Science, Published by Elsevier Korea LLC. This is an open access article
under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Introduction management efficiency. In this rapidly changing medical environ-

Modern hospital organizations are promoting specialization,
segmentation, modernization, and informatization to provide high-
quality health-care services that meet customers' expectations. In
addition, hospital organizations are making efforts to improve their
* Correspondence to: Eun-Kyung Kim, RN, PhD, Department of Nursing,
Chungbuk National University, 1 Chungdae-ro, Seowon-gu, Cheongiu, Chungbuk
28644, Republic of Korea.
E-mail address: kyung11@cbnu.ac.kr
* activities [2]. In addition, nursing unit managers can significantly
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0986-5217
ment, these organizations are focusing on strengthening their core
competencies and improving their relations to increase produc-
tivity [1]. In particular, middle managers play the most pivotal role
in enhancing their efficiency.
Middle managers in nursing organizations drive the achieve-
ment of the goals of each nursing unit and hospital, as well as
improvement of performance. In particular, a nursing unit manager
is the core manager of a nursing unit and has the responsibility and
authority to understand the purpose and structure of the hospital
and nursing department and to direct, coordinate, and evaluate
nursing resource management and the performance of nursing

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anr.2018.03.001
p1976-1317 e2093-7482/© 2018 Korean Society of Nursing Science, Published by Elsevier Korea LLC. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
100 E.H. Choi et al. / Asian Nursing Research 12 (2018) 99e105
affect the efficiency of overall hospital organization and the quality
of patient care. Therefore, nursing unit managers should have
management capabilities that can play a key role in professional
performance and in improving the capabilities of staff nurses.
Nursing unit managers devote much time to educating patients,
family caregivers, nursing staff, nursing students, local residents,
and organizations, as well as coordinating and cooperating with
various departments inside and outside the hospital. The educa-
tional leadership of nursing unit managers focuses on identifying
nurses' abilities and attitudes and managing activities and educa-
tion programs to improve tasks and nurses' job performance,
knowledge, and attitudes and to develop their professionalism to
provide patients with quality nursing. The educational leadership
of nursing unit managers has a positive effect on organizational
performance and team effectiveness, which can increase nurses'
job satisfaction and decrease their turnover intention. Its impor-
tance has recently been emphasized [3].
The nursing unit is an independent unit operated by the nursing
unit manager and is affected by complex factors such as the envi-
ronment of each unit, characteristics of team members, diversity of
resources, and interactions among organizational members [4].
These factors also affect team effectiveness. Rapid and smooth
communication between team members is essential for the team
effectiveness of a nursing unit [5,6].
Organizational communication refers to the interactions be-
tween organizational members to cooperatively achieve organiza-
tional goals [7]. Organizational management can also be referred to
as communication management, and communication plays a cen-
tral role in the operation of an organization [8]. According to the
results of previous studies on organizational communication,
organizational communication satisfaction contributes to
achieving goals and to organizational development by increasing
the job satisfaction of organizational members [5,9e11].
Nursing unit managers must possess outstanding communica-
tion skills. Strong communication skills are important components
of effective leadership. A successful organization is one with col-
lective efficacy and a capability to develop and use resources to
accomplish goals that matter to all staff members through agreed-
upon processes [12].
In previous studies, it was proved that the educational leader-
ship of the leader is an important factor for enhancing the team
effectiveness [3] and that there is a positive correlation between
organizational communication satisfaction, job satisfaction, orga-
nizational commitment, and organizational effectiveness [13e17].
However, the present study is limited to the relationship between
the educational leadership, organizational communication satis-
faction, and team effectiveness of the nursing unit manager at the
time when goal achievement and team performance are empha-
sized in nursing units.
This study aimed to identify the effects of organizational
communication satisfaction on the relationship between the
educational leadership of nursing unit managers and team effec-
tiveness to improve understanding of the importance of educa-
tional leadership and organizational communication and provide
the basic data required to enhance managers' education capability.
Methods
Study design
This is a cross-sectional descriptive study that aimed to inves-
tigate the effects of the educational leadership of nursing unit
managers on the team effectiveness of a nursing unit and the
mediating effects of organizational communication satisfaction.
Setting and sample
The participants of this study were staff nurses working with
nursing unit manager for more than 6 months in a university
hospital with educational mission in the Cheongju city. For the
multiple regression analysis, the sample size was estimated at a
power of .95, significance level of .05, medium-effect size of .15, and
through 13 predictor variables using G*Power 3.1.9.2, a program for
statistical power analyses. The minimum number of samples
required was calculated as 189 participants. Thus, 250 question-
naires were distributed in anticipation of missing questionnaires.
Of these, 242 completed questionnaires were collected (response
rate: 96.8%). Ultimately, after excluding 26 questionnaires (dropout
rate: 10.4%) with incomplete data, the study analyzed data from 216
participants, which met the minimum number of participants
required for statistical testing.
Ethical considerations
Data collection was conducted after approval of the Institutional
Review Board of Chungbuk National University (Approval no.
CBNU-201704-BMSB-426-01) belonging to the researcher to pro-
tect the human rights of the research participants. Researchers
visited the nursing department at one hospital to request
participation and to explain the purpose of this study and the
contents of the questionnaires. A pre-educated research assistant
visited each nursing unit and explained the purpose of the study to
the staff nurses. Furthermore, data collection process, guarantee of
anonymity, autonomy of the decision to withdraw, confidentiality,
and data storage and handling were explained to the participants.
Nurses completed a self-administered survey after consenting in
writing to voluntarily participate in this study. Each completed
questionnaire was collected in a sealed envelope to ensure confi-
dentiality. Collected questionnaires were coded, input into the
computer, and stored in a lockable cabinet.
Measurement
Educational leadership
Educational leadership was measured using a tool revised by
Ahn [3], which was based on the Principal Instructional Manage-
ment Rating Scale developed by Hallinger and Murphy. This scale
comprised 12 items, with three subscales, including task
improvement activities, professional development, and education
course management. Each item was rated on a five-point Likert
scale ranging from “1 ¼ not at all” to “5 ¼ very much agree.” A
higher score indicated that nurses had a higher perception of the
educational leadership of their nursing unit managers. This scale
was approved for use by the developer of the tool. In a study by Ahn
[5], the reliability of this tool was Cronbach a ¼ .94. Cronbach a in
this study was .96.
Team effectiveness
Team effectiveness was measured using a scale originally
developed by Hoegl and Gemuenden [18] and modified by Kim
[19]. The scale comprised 16 items, with three subscales on per-
sonal growth, job effectiveness, and job efficiency. Each item was
rated on a five-point Likert scale ranging from “1 ¼ not at all” to
“5 ¼ very much agree.” A high score indicated higher team effec-
tiveness. The scale was approved for use by the developer. The
reliability of each subscale was determined in a study by Kim [19]
and was as follows: Cronbach a ¼ .89 for personal growth, .90 for
job effectiveness, and .80 for job efficacy. Its reliability in a study by
Lee [20] was Cronbach a ¼ .93, and in this study, it was .90. In
 E.H. Choi et al. / Asian Nursing Research 12 (2018) 99e105 101

addition, in this study, the reliability of each subscale ranged from
.75 to .88.
Organizational communication satisfaction
Organizational communication satisfaction was measured using
a tool originally developed by Down and Hazen [21] and modified
for nursing organizations by Park [5]. The tool comprised 24 items
for eight subfactors, including organizational perspective, organi-
zational integration, personal feedback, supervisor communication,
subordinate communication, media quality, horizontal communi-
cation, and communication climate. Each item was rated on a five-
point Likert scale ranging from “1 ¼ not at all” to “5 ¼ very much
agree.” A higher score indicated higher organizational communi-
cation satisfaction among organizational members. The tool was
approved for use in advance by the developer. The reliability of the
tool in a study by Park [5] was Cronbach a ¼ .80. Cronbach a in this
study was .91.
Data collection
The data collection period was from July 24 to August 25, 2017.
The purpose of the study was explained to the nursing unit man-
agers who were asked to cooperate in the data collection process.
Research assistants were trained in advance on data collection
methods. The data were collected with only those nurses who
agreed with participating in the study. Nurses completed the
questionnaire in a meeting room in units for privacy. The average
completion time was approximately 15 minutes.
Data analysis
of current work unit, 56.9% were working in general wards,
including internal medicine and surgery departments, and 43.1% in
special units, including the intensive care unit, emergency room,
and operating room. The average clinical career of nurses was
5.26 years, and the clinical career in the current work unit was
3.41 years on average.
Differences in educational leadership, organizational
communication satisfaction, and team effectiveness according to
demographic and job characteristics
Table 2 provides the results of the analysis of the differences in
the educational leadership, organizational communication satis-
faction, and team effectiveness of nursing unit managers according
to their demographic and job characteristics. The overall mean
score of educational leadership, organizational communication
satisfaction, and team effectiveness were 3.74, 3.14, and 3.52,
respectively.
The nurses who worked at general units showed statistically
higher score of educational leadership of nursing unit managers
(F ¼ 4.03, p < .001), organizational communication satisfaction
(F ¼ 5.05, p < .001), and team effectiveness (F ¼ 2.94, p < .004)
than those who worked at special units. Organizational commu-
nication satisfaction was higher for new nurses with less than 1
year than nurses with more than 1 year of total clinical career
(F ¼ 4.71, p ¼ .010). In addition, organizational communication
satisfaction was higher for nurses with less than 1 year than
nurses with more than 1 year of current work unit clinical career
(F ¼ 8.98, p < .001).

Correlation between educational leadership, organizational

Analyses were conducted using SPSS, 23.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk,
communication satisfaction, and team effectiveness
NY, USA). The general characteristics of the participants were
analyzed using descriptive statistics. Cronbach a values were
Table 3 shows the correlation between the educational leader-
measured to ensure the reliability of the instruments. Differences in
ship of nursing unit managers, organizational communication
educational leadership, team effectiveness, and organizational
satisfaction, and team effectiveness of the participants. Education
communication satisfaction were analyzed using an independent t
leadership was significantly positively correlated with team effec-
test and one-way analysis of variance, and a post hoc analysis was
 test. Pearson's correlation coefficients tiveness (r ¼ .46, p < .001) and organizational communication
performed using the Scheffe
satisfaction (r ¼ .66, p < .001); and organizational communication
were calculated to examine the relationship between educational
satisfaction was significantly positively correlated with team
leadership, team effectiveness, and organizational communication
effectiveness (r ¼ .62, p < .001) (Table 3).
satisfaction. The mediating effects of organizational communica-
tion on educational leadership and team effectiveness were
analyzed using Baron and Kenny's three-step test procedure for
mediating effects [22], which employs simple and multiple Table 1 Sociodemographic and Work-Related Characteristics of Participants (N ¼ 216).
regression analyses. Finally, the statistical significance of the
mediating effects was tested using a Sobel test. Characteristics Categories n (%) M ± SD
The results of testing the assumptions of the regression analysis Age (yrs) 25 49 (22.7) 29.20 ± 5.75
before testing the mediating effects of organizational communi- 26 to 30 115 (53.2)
cation satisfaction showed that all the following conditions were 31 52 (24.1)
Marital Single 177 (81.9)
met: the DurbineWatson index was 1.70, indicating no residual
Married 39 (18.1)
autocorrelation; the minimum value of the tolerance limit for the Education College 31 (14.4)
variables was 0.62 or greater than 0.10; and the maximum value of Bachelor 170 (78.7)
the variance inflation factor was 1.61, which was smaller than 10, Master 15 (6.9)
indicating that multicollinearity was not a problem. In addition, the Religion Yes 71 (32.9)
No 145 (67.1)
results of the residual analysis confirmed the linearity, normality, Current work unit General units 123 (56.9)
and homoscedasticity of the model. Special units 96 (43.1)
Total clinical career (yrs) ＜1 23 (10.6) 5.26 ± 5.86
Results 1 to ＜5 117 (54.2)
5 76 (35.2)
Current work unit clinical career (yrs) ＜1 38 (17.6) 3.41 ± 3.84
Characteristics of the study participants 1 to ＜5 133 (61.6)
5 45 (20.8)
A descriptive analysis was conducted to analyze the general Note. M ¼ mean; SD ¼ standard deviation; yrs ¼ years.
characteristics of the participants (Table 1). The mean age of the Special units include intensive care unit, emergency room, operating room, and
participants was 29.20 years, and 81.9% were unmarried. In terms emergency unit.
102 E.H. Choi et al. / Asian Nursing Research 12 (2018) 99e105

Table 2 Differences in Team Effectiveness, Organizational Communication Satisfaction, and Educational Leadership According to Sociodemographic and Work-Related Characteristics
(N ¼ 216).

Characteristics Categories Educational leadership Organizational communication satisfaction Team effectiveness

M ± SD 
t or F(p) Scheffe M ± SD 
t or F(p) Scheffe M ± SD 
t or F(p) Scheffe

Age (yrs) 25 3.71 ± 0.69 0.13 (.877) 3.22 ± 0.49 2.32 (.101) 3.55 ± 0.44 0.22 (.80)
26 to 30 3.76 ± 0.61 3.16 ± 0.46 3.50 ± 0.49
31 3.71 ± 0.82 3.02 ± 0.61 3.53 ± 0.53
Marital status Single 3.74 ± 0.69 0.09 (.931) 3.16 ± 0.49 1.31 (.198) 3.50 ± 0.47 0.99 (.332)
Married 3.73 ± 0.67 3.03 ± 0.58 3.59 ± 0.56
Education College 3.58 ± 0.73 1.45 (.238) 3.01 ± 0.52 1.22 (.298) 3.52 ± 0.44 0.18 (.833)
Bachelor 3.75 ± 0.67 3.16 ± 0.50 3.51 ± 0.50
Master 3.93 ± 0.73 3.20 ± 0.59 3.59 ± 0.48
Religion Yes 3.76 ± 0.74 0.36 (.720) 3.15 ± 0.55 0.11 (.916) 3.54 ± 0.50 0.48 (.634)
No 3.73 ± 0.65 3.14 ± 0.49 3.51 ± 0.48
Current work unit General units 3.90 ± 0.66 4.03 (<.001) 3.28 ± 0.47 5.05 (<.001) 3.60 ± 0.48 2.94 (<.004)
Special units 3.53 ± 0.65 2.95 ± 0.49 3.41 ± 0.48
Total clinical career (yrs) ＜1a 3.95 ± 0.86 1.23 (.293) 3.41 ± 0.49 4.71 (.010) a>b,c 3.69 ± 0.51 2.00 (.138)
1 to ＜5b 3.72 ± 0.60 3.15 ± 0.44 3.52 ± 0.44
5c 3.71 ± 0.74 3.05 ± 0.58 3.46 ± 0.54
Current work unit clinical career (yrs) ＜1a 3.88 ± 0.78 1.71 (.183) 3.40 ± 0.49 8.98 (<.001) a,b>c 3.68 ± 0.46 2.96 (.054)
1 to ＜5b 3.74 ± 0.61 3.13 ± 0.46 3.50 ± 0.45
5c 3.61 ± 0.79 2.94 ± 0.56 3.44 ± 0.58
Total (M ± SD) 3.74 ± 0.68 3.14 ± 0.51 3.52 ± 0.49

Note. M ¼ mean; SD ¼ standard deviation; yrs ¼ years.

Table 3 Correlations Between Educational Leadership, Organizational Communication
Satisfaction, and Team Effectiveness (N ¼ 216).
Variables Educational Organizational
leadership communication
r (p) r (p)
Educational leadership 1
Organizational communication .62 (<.001) 1
Team effectiveness .46 (<.001) .66 (<.001)
The mediating effects of organizational communication satisfaction
on the relationship between educational leadership and team
effectiveness
Table 4 provides the results of the regression analysis conducted
to verify the mediating effects of organizational communication
satisfaction on the relationship between the educational leadership
of nursing unit managers and team effectiveness. In the first step,
the results of the regression analysis using educational leadership
as an independent variable and organizational communication
satisfaction as a mediator variable were significant (b ¼ .62,
p < .001), supporting educational leadership as a reasonable
explanation for the 38.0% of organizational communication satis-
faction. In the second step, the results of the regression analysis
using educational leadership as the independent variable and team
effectiveness as the dependent variable were statistically signifi-
cant (b ¼ .46, p < .001), supporting educational leadership as a
reasonable explanation for the 21.0% of team effectiveness. In the
third step, regression analysis was conducted with educational
leadership and organizational communication satisfaction as pre-
dictive factors and team effectiveness as the dependent variable to
investigate the effect of organizational communication satisfaction
on team effectiveness. The results showed that only organizational
communication satisfaction was a significant predictive factor of
team effectiveness (b ¼ .61, p < .001). In other words, when the
Team organizational communication satisfaction was set as a mediator
effectiveness variable in this step, the standardized regression coefficient of
r (p)
educational leadership declined from .46 to .09, and it was found
not to be significant with respect to team effectiveness (b ¼ .09,
p ¼ .188), indicating that the complete mediating effect of organi-
1 zational communication satisfaction was able to explain 44.0% of
team effectiveness (Figure 1).
A Sobel test was performed to verify the significance of the
mediating effects of organizational communication satisfaction
[23]; the mediating effects of organizational communication
satisfaction on the relationship between educational leadership
and team effectiveness were found to be significant (Z ¼ 7.40,
p < .001).
Discussion
The results of this study showed that team effectiveness
increased as nursing unit managers exercised more educational
leadership and organizational members were more satisfied with
organizational communication. These results suggest that the
educational leadership of nursing unit managers can achieve
nursing unit goals and improve performance.
Leadership is the interpersonal influence that leads to achieve-
ment of goals through communication. Leader's role in achieving
organizational goal largely depends on how well they communicate
[24]. The nursing unit manager demonstrated educational leader-
ship such as guidance, encouragement, and information providing
for improving the job ability of the staffs and improved the team
effectiveness of the nursing unit through the communication pro-
cess toward attainment of the goal with the staffs.

Table 4 Mediating Effect of Organizational Communication Satisfaction on the Relationship Between Educational Leadership and Team Effectiveness (N ¼ 216).

Step Independent variable Dependent variable B b (p) t Adjusted R2 F p

Step 1. Educational leadership Organizational communication satisfaction .46 .62 (<.001) 11.43 .38 130.66 <.001
Step 2. Educational leadership Team effectiveness .33 .46 (<.001) 7.60 .21 57.72 <.001
Step 3. Educational leadership Team effectiveness .06 .09 (<.188) 1.32 .44 84.64 <.001
Organizational communication satisfaction Team effectiveness .58 .61 (<.001) 9.39

Sobel test: Z ¼ 7.40, p < .001.

 E.H. Choi et al. / Asian Nursing Research 12 (2018) 99e105
Figure 1. Mediating effect of organizational communication satisfaction on the rela-
tionship between educational leadership and team effectiveness *p < .001.
In this study, the mean score for the educational leadership of
nursing unit managers was 3.74 (out of 5 points), higher than the
3.11 found in a study by Ahn [3], in which nurses working at four
general hospitals in the same area were surveyed using the same
tool. This difference can be attributed to the fact that the present
study site was a university hospital and tertiary hospital trying to
accomplish an education mission, which meant that nursing unit
managers in this nursing organization faced higher demands to
educate nurses, nursing students, nursing assistants, patients, and
caregivers than those in general hospitals, and they endeavored to
faithfully fulfill this corresponding role. In the field of education, a
principal's educational leadership had a greater effect on the
effectiveness of a school organization than transformational or
managerial leadership [25]. In addition, knowledge-sharing efforts
to increase organizational competitiveness emerged as an impor-
tant issue. The results of a study on hospital organizations [26]
indicated that the effects of nurses' knowledge management on
organizational effectiveness highlight the importance of educa-
tional leadership.
The results of this study showed that organizational commu-
nication satisfaction was significantly higher in nurse with short
clinical career. If newly employed nurses or new nurses transferred
from other wards are introduced into a different ward, they require
a certain period of work orientation according to the nature of the
nursing task. As a result, the time nursing unit managers spend on
education has increased, which naturally has enhanced the orga-
nizational communication satisfaction of staff nurses. Also, staff
nurses working in general units had significantly higher educa-
tional leadership, organizational communication satisfaction, and
team effectiveness than staff nurses working in special units. The
results showed that the number of unit nurses managed by a unit
manager was larger than that of general units in special units of
research hospital and that staff nurses in general unit had more
education and interaction time with unit manager, which may have
influenced organizational communication satisfaction and team
effectiveness.
Educational leadership in the education field maintains the
educational conditions of an organization, maximizes support to
improve teaching and learning effectiveness, and promotes the
growth and development of those being educated. According to
the Korean Hospital Nurses Association [27], the ratio of new
nurses with less than 1 year in a clinical career to total nursing
staff at tertiary hospitals was 14.8% on average, and the turnover
rate of new nurses with less than 1 year in a clinical career was
very high at 29.8% on average. This suggests that for these nurses,
the educational leadership of nursing unit managers is needed;
education is essential to improve the competencies of staff nurses,
103
and nursing unit managers must satisfy their education needs.
When, staff nurses gain confidence through their education and
communication, their job satisfaction and job commitment will
increase, which will contribute to organizational performance
[28].
Nursing unit managers are responsible for setting the tone and
creating a climate conducive to teaching and learning. Because
nursing unit managers can play a pivotal role in driving the
continuing professional development of the unit nurses [29].
Educational leaders not only provide nurses with opportunities for
professional development, but they also share the necessary in-
formation to encourage and support nurses in their efforts to
achieve organizational goals. A successful organization is one with
collective efficacy and a capability to develop and use resources to
accomplish goals that matter to all staff members through agreed-
upon processes [12].
Nursing unit manager can provide feedback to each other
through collaboration during staff development. Professional
development must be constructed in ways that deepen the dis-
cussion, open up the debates, and enrich the array of possibilities
for action [17]. The results of this study indicate that the mean score
for organizational communication satisfaction was 3.14 (out of 5
points), similar to the 3.17 found in a study by Lee [13] involving
nurses. These results suggest that nursing unit managers need to
make efforts to create a ward culture that enables more free
communication with staffs. It is a unit manager's responsibility to
establish strong lines of communication with and among leaders
and staffs. In addition, unit manager should monitor the effec-
tiveness of practices and their impact on staff learning [17]. In
addition, nursing unit managers should develop career develop-
ment education programs to promote employees' morale and
support them through horizontal communication.
The mean score for team effectiveness was 3.52 in this study.
These results were similar to the overall mean score of 3.50 found
in a study by Lee in which nurses were surveyed using the same
tool [20] and somewhat lower than the 3.62 found in a study by
Kim [19] on office workers at large companies. Therefore, team
effectiveness appears to be a matter of assessing not only the
achievement of a team's goals but also whether team members'
ability is improved during the team's work. The latter is an
important factor for team effectiveness.
A team's success varies depending on the level of goal
achievement, task performance methods, and the capabilities of
team members. One of the characteristics of high performing
teams is team members with the right expertise. To be a high-
performing team, team members must be satisfied with them-
selves and improve their knowledge and skills during the course
of their work. Staff developments should focus on content
knowledge, provide opportunities for active learning, and there
should be an overall coherence of the staff development activities
[17]. If the abilities of team members are improved through
educational leadership of unit manager, they will work more
efficiently and eventually achieve team goals [20]. Therefore,
nursing unit managers should identify team members' abilities
and attitudes and confirm whether their personal growth oppor-
tunities are reflected in their work. These should be applied so
that nurses' job performance, nursing knowledge, and attitudes
can be improved in the process of providing quality nursing
suitable for patients.
The results of this study also significantly correlated the
educational leadership of nursing unit managers as perceived by
nurses with team effectiveness and organizational communication
satisfaction. As the educational leadership of nursing unit managers
perceived by nurses was higher, team effectiveness was also higher
in this study, similar to the results of previous research [3]. In
104 E.H. Choi et al. / Asian Nursing Research 12 (2018) 99e105
addition, these results are aligned with those of previous studies
involving nurses [13e15], indicating that as employees were more
satisfied with organizational communication, their organizational
commitment was higher.
On the other hand, the results for verifying the mediating effects
of organizational communication satisfaction on the relationship
between the educational leadership of nursing unit managers and
team effectiveness indicated that the effects of educational lead-
ership on the team effectiveness of staff nurses differed according
to organizational communication satisfaction. This implies that the
organizational communication satisfaction as perceived by nurses
mediated the educational leadership of nursing unit managers and
team effectiveness, thus affecting team effectiveness. In other
words, the educational leadership of nursing unit managers can
increase staff nurses organizational communication satisfaction to
enhance team effectiveness. Nursing unit managers who demon-
strate educational leadership communicate repeatedely with their
members and identify their concerns [17]. Also, unit managers
work together in teams, engaging in the process of
performance that promote deep team learning, leading to higher
levels of staff achievement [30].
The results of this study confirmed that the educational leadership
of nursing unit managers affects team effectiveness via the organi-
zational communication satisfaction of staff nurses. These findings
suggest that the educational leadership of nursing unit managers can
contribute to team effectiveness by activating communications with
nurses and increasing their satisfaction. If nurses' team effectiveness
increases, nursing performance will improve accordingly, and the
quality of nursing services will be enhanced to increase patient
satisfaction and ultimately maximize the efficiency of hospitals.
Therefore, the educational leadership of nursing unit managers is an
important factor affecting organizational performance.
Conclusion
The present study found that the educational leadership of
nursing unit managers affected organizational communication
satisfaction among nurses and that organizational communication
played a mediating role in increasing team effectiveness. Therefore,
nursing unit managers can increase team effectiveness through
education and training to enhance their effective educational
leadership competencies and organizational communication with
nurses.
Recommendations for future research
First, more studies are needed to verify the effects of educational
leadership using diverse samples. Second, it is recommended that
further studies include various factors that affect educational
leadership. Third, programs should be developed to improve the
communication satisfaction of nursing organizations, and studies
to verify these effects should be conducted.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Acknowledgment
The authors would like to thank the hospital for its sincere
cooperation in the present study and the nurses for their participa-
tion in the survey for the development of the nursing organization.
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