How do Nursing Staff's Personal and Professional Experiences, Demographics, and Career Stage Influence Their Perceptions of Authentic Leadership?

Aim This study aimed to assess staff nurses’ perceptions of their immediate supervisors’ authentic leadership (AL) within a Saudi Arabian hospital and to determine whether demographic and work-related characteristics of the nursing staff predicted these perceptions. Background AL is critical for fostering positive nursing work environments, staff well-being, and patient safety. While its outcomes are well-documented, a significant gap exists in understanding how the characteristics of the followers (staff nurses) influence their perceptions of leadership. This relational dynamic is particularly understudied in the Saudi Arabian context. Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional, comparative study was conducted at King Khaled Hospital, Majmaah. A census sample of 267 nursing staff was invited, with 154 participating (58.8% response rate). Participants completed the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ) to rate their immediate supervisors. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and multiple regression. Results Nursing staff rated their supervisors’ AL at a critically low overall level (mean = 1.57/4, 18th percentile). Comparative analysis revealed perceptions differed significantly based on the staff's age, marital status, education, employment status, position, and experience. Multiple regression identified marital status (β = .326, p < .001) and experience in the current unit (β = .444, p = .005) as the two strongest significant positive predictors of AL ratings, explaining 22.1% of the variance. Conclusion The findings indicate a significant deficit in perceived AL among nurse supervisors. Crucially, a staff nurse's personal and professional profile significantly marks their perception of leadership, suggesting that AL is not judged on behavior alone but through the relational interplay between leader and follower. Implications for Nursing Management Addressing this AL deficit requires targeted interventions. Recommendations include implementing structured AL development programs focused on its core components, prioritizing leadership stability to build long-term trust, and creating tailored support strategies for vulnerable groups like mid-career nurses.