The Association Between Nurse Managers’ Trust, Inclusive Leadership Style and Staff Nurses’ Work Effectiveness in Saudi Arabian Hospitals: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Nurse managers’ trust and inclusive leadership are critical factors that influence staff nurses’ motivation, engagement, and work effectiveness. Understanding how these elements interact can help improve organizational performance and patient care in hospital settings. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationship between nursing managers’ trust, inclusive leadership styles and staff nurses’ work effectiveness in Saudi Arabian hospitals. Purpose: This study aimed to examine the relationship between nursing managers’ trust, inclusive leadership styles and staff nurses’ work effectiveness in Saudi Arabian hospitals. Methods: A descriptive, correlational cross-sectional design was conducted. Data were collected by distributing questionnaires (workplace effectiveness questionnaire II, the inclusive leadership scale, and the trust in the leader scale) among 487 nurses using convenience sampling from 10 hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Results: The work-effectiveness factors of opportunity, access to support, and access to information (means: 3.43, 3.23, and 3.15, respectively) were moderately empowering. Most participants perceived the availability and accessibility (means: 3.43 and 3.23, respectively) of inclusive leadership. Meanwhile, in the trust in the leader scale, integrity and benevolence (means: 3.31 and 3.27, respectively) were more highly rated than predictability and competence (means: 2.79 and 2.81, respectively). Significant differences (p < 0.05) between nursing managers and their staff were observed across all three dimensions. Conclusions: Trust in nursing managers, inclusive leadership, and staff nurses’ work effectiveness were significantly associated, but the cross-sectional design does not support causal inference.