Date of Conferral

2017

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Nursing

Advisor

Leslie C. Hussey

Abstract

Transnational nurse migration has evoked a growing interest in the phenomenon of professional integration of expatriate nurses into their host societies. Despite research connecting employee and organizational outcomes such as job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behavior to the quality of leadership styles, there remains a lack of research linking professional integration of expatriate nurses to nurse leadership styles in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The purpose of this grounded theory study was to develop a theory that would explain how nurse leadership styles and behaviors impacted the professional integration of expatriate nurses into the multicultural work environment of the UAE. The research questions addressed the perceptions of the expatriate nurses on effective leadership styles and behaviors of nurse leaders in a culturally diverse work environment, the lived experiences of the expatriate nurses, and the impact of the organizational culture on the process of integration. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 10 expatriate nurses, demographic surveys, documents review, and researcher memos. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method and initial, focused, axial, and theoretical coding. Results indicated that nurse leadership styles and the conditions surrounding the integration process influenced the success of the expatriate nurses' adaptation, integration, and assimilation into the host society. Implications for social change include the preparation of nurses while in their home country on what to expect in the host country, and development of leadership training programs to prepare nurse leaders for leading in a culturally diverse work environment.

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