How does gender affect leadership communication and job satisfaction among physicians? Evidence from Swiss hospitals

Abstract

Purpose: Studies show that women communicate and perceive communication from supervisors and colleagues differently than men. This is evident also in the healthcare sector and particularly among female doctors. The primary aim of this study is to explore the relationships between communication practices, leadership approaches and the association with physicians' job satisfaction and overall well-being. Particular attention is paid to gender and its impact on the communication of physicians in hospitals.

Design/methodology/approach: We carried out a comprehensive survey of physicians working in hospitals across Switzerland in 2019 to investigate the role of gender on communication style and physicians' job satisfaction and well-being in hospitals. We collected 1565 responses and performed Mann-Whitney U-tests to test if the job satisfaction and well-being measures differ by gender. Furthermore, we used multiple-regression models to estimate the conditional relationship between the outcome measures and predictor variables.

Findings: Effective leadership communication is positively associated with the job satisfaction of all physicians, regardless of functions, generations, languages, genders, hospital types and specializations. The results of the study indicate that there are gender differences between men and women physicians in Swiss hospitals regarding the effect of leadership communication on job satisfaction, satisfaction with leadership communication and well-being.

Originality: While there are valid studies that provide valuable insights into leadership styles, gender disparities in leadership, and the impact of gender bias on leadership, this study fills the lack of direct evidence addressing the effect of leadership communication skills on the job satisfaction and the well-being of female physicians and the need for different types of leadership communication skills for female physicians in hospitals.