This study investigated the relationship between leadership openness and workers’ commitment in the healthcare sector of Rivers State, Nigeria. Anchored on the Authentic Leadership Theory, the study examined how information sharing and leadership flexibility—key dimensions of leadership openness—affect affective and normative commitment among healthcare workers, with equity motivation as a moderating variable. A cross-sectional survey research design was adopted, and data were collected from 219 nurses and doctors across 14 public and private hospitals in Rivers State using structured questionnaires. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed for data analysis. The results revealed that leadership flexibility had a positive and significant relationship with both affective and normative commitment, while information sharing had weak and non-significant effects on both commitment dimensions. Furthermore, equity motivation did not significantly moderate the relationship between leadership openness and workers’ commitment. The findings suggest that adaptive and flexible leadership behaviors foster stronger emotional and moral attachment among healthcare workers, while routine information sharing alone is insufficient to enhance commitment. The study recommends that healthcare leaders cultivate flexible management practices, encourage participative decision-making, and establish fair, transparent communication systems to strengthen employee loyalty and motivation in the healthcare sector.

Keywords: Leadership openness, Information sharing, Leadership flexibility, Equity motivation, Affective commitment, Normative commitment, Healthcare sector, Rivers State.