DESPOTIC LEADERSHIP AND JOB SATISFACTION AMONG NURSES: ROLE OF EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION

Job satisfaction is reported with chronic issues in the healthcare sector. Specifically, in the current milieu of COVID-19 pandemic, a grave attention has been divulged on the support of the healthcare system and wellbeing of paramedic staff. There is a dearth of research on contemporary leadership in the healthcare sector, particularly in developing countries. Objective of this study was to find the direct negative effect of despotic leadership on job satisfaction through emotional exhaustion among nurses based on Affective Events Theory assumptions. Data from a sample of 265 registered nurses was collected through self-administered questionnaire distribution method deployed in public hospitals using stratified random sampling technique. The data analysis results of PLS-SEM support for the assumed effect revealed that emotional exhaustion played the meditation role between despotic leadership and job satisfaction among nurses. This study advances AET theoretical shores, research knowledge, and suggests considering feasible practical implications for HR and government bodies in the public healthcare sector in developing countries.