Before and during COVID-19: the roles of transformational leadership, organizational culture and work–life balance in healthcare

Abstract

Purpose

This research aims to investigate the role of transformational leadership and organizational culture – encompassing Clan, Adhocracy, Hierarchical and Market Cultures – in the context of work–life balance for healthcare workers. It aims to present a comparison of observations made pre and mid-pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

A structured questionnaire was utilized to collect data from a varied sample of 355 employees (258 before and 97 during the pandemic) representing multiple sectors and positions within a hospital. The interpretation of the data was accomplished using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM).

Findings

Findings reveal that prior to the pandemic, transformational leadership significantly influenced all forms of organizational culture perceptions, with a strong influence on Clan Culture. Clan Culture displayed a consistent positive correlation with WLB both before and during the pandemic. During the pandemic, Market Culture exhibited a negative effect on WLB and Adhocracy Culture demonstrated a positive effect, impacts which were absent before the pandemic. Transformational leadership had a positive impact on WLB before the pandemic, but no discernible effect during the pandemic was observed.

Originality/value

The results indicate that the dynamics between transformational leadership, organizational culture and work–life balance are susceptible to alterations in the face of external crisis events. This study offers a unique exploration of these dynamics in the healthcare sector during the ongoing global pandemic.

Citation

Gomes, G., Tontini, G., Krause, V.M. and Bernardes, M. (2024), "Before and during COVID-19: the roles of transformational leadership, organizational culture and work–life balance in healthcare", Journal of Health Organization and Management, Vol. 38 No. 4, pp. 528-553. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHOM-07-2023-0224