Junior doctor retention strategies: integrating knowledge management with supportive leadership and organizational climate

Official URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13132-024-02316-x

This study aims to evaluate interventions and strategies used to retain junior doctors, with a specific focus on the roles of organizational climate, supportive leadership, and work engagement influenced by effective knowledge management practices. We examine how knowledge management—the systematic process of creating, sharing, using, and managing the knowledge and information of an organization—contributes to creating a favorable organizational climate and supportive leadership strategies. Engaging in a quantitative study with a sample of 950 junior doctors across four Central European countries, we explore the impact of an integrated approach that combines traditional performance-oriented climate models (rational goals model) with knowledge management practices tailored to the unique demands of healthcare settings influenced by current healthcare reforms and bureaucratic systems. Our findings suggest that not only do supportive leadership and a positive organizational climate enhance work engagement among junior doctors, but robust knowledge management practices also play a crucial role in improving retention rates by facilitating continuous learning and effective information sharing. To the best of our knowledge, our research is the first to draw on the synergy between rational goals, organizational climate, supportive leadership, and knowledge management practices to explain the antecedents of junior doctor work engagement and retention. This approach offers new insights into the dynamics of employee retention and underscores fundamental factors influencing junior doctors’ retention, paving the way for a more resilient and thriving healthcare workforce amidst the ongoing turbulence in global healthcare.