The mediating role of organizational commitment in the relationship between head nurses’ ambidextrous leadership and team performance

BACKGROUND: Building high-performing nursing teams is crucial for hospital competitiveness and high-quality care delivery. Although ambidextrous leadership enhances team performance, its underlying mechanisms remain underexplored. This study examines how ambidextrous leadership (integrating transformational and transactional styles) affects nursing team performance in Chinese hospitals, focusing on the mediating role of organizational commitment. METHODS: This study employed a cross-sectional survey design, targeting nursing staff at a public hospital in Hefei City, Anhui Province. Data on employees’ demographic characteristics, perceptions of ambidextrous leadership styles, organizational commitment, and team performance were collected via questionnaires. Structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis was conducted using AMOS software to validate the hypothesised relationships and mediating effect pathways. RESULTS: A total of 634 nurses participated in this study. The mean team performance score was (25.50 ± 3.65). The study revealed that team performance was positively correlated with organizational commitment (r = 0.527, P < 0.01) and perceived ambidextrous leadership (r = 0.487, P < 0.01). Organizational commitment partially mediated the relationship between head nurses’ ambidextrous leadership and team performance, with a mediation effect value of 0.027. This mediation accounted for 52.94% of the total effect. CONCLUSION: Ambidextrous leadership exerts a positive influence on nursing team performance, with organizational commitment acting as a partial mediator. These findings help to clarify the mechanism through which leadership affects performance in healthcare settings. In practical terms, the results suggest that nursing managers can enhance team outcomes by cultivating ambidextrous leadership behaviors and actively fostering organizational commitment among nurses. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.