Nurse managers' perception of job-related empowerment and organisation commitment: a replication study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to test Rosabeth Moss Ranter’s (1997) structural theory of organisational behaviour in public hospital’s nursing manager population in the Northern Province. Specifically, it is the examination of the relationship between nurse managers’ perceptions of organisational commitment and job-related empowerment in their current work environment, a replication study of McDermott (1994), and Dubuc (1995).

Ranter (1993) sees power in the organisation as being derived from the structural conditions, not from personal characteristics or socialisation effects. Therefore the determination of how much power anybody has in the organisation depends on formal characteristics of the job, and the development of informal alliances; these influence access to the sources of job-related empowerment i.e. information, support, resources and opportunity for growth and advancement.

Organisational commitment for the purpose of this study is defined as “making the welfare of the organisation as one’s responsibility; the willingness to go an extra mile for the benefit of the organisation or the client without being exploited”.

A total sample of nurse managers in-charge of public hospitals in the Northern Province and their deputies was targeted (58% i.e. 48 of the 84 responded). Participants completed four questionnaires; Conditions for Work Effectiveness Questionnaire (CWEQ), Job Activity Scale (JAS), Organisational Relationship Scale (ORS), and Organisational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ).

CWEQ measured the nurse manager’s perception of power and opportunity (M = 3.51, SD = 0.86 and M = 3.47, SD - 0.74 while the other three (JAS, ORS and OCQ) measured the nurse managers’ perceptions of their formal power characteristics (M = 3.50, SD = 0,54), their informal alliances - social and political, as predictors of job-related empowerment (M = 3.35, SD = 0.63), and the strength of their individual commitment to the organisation (M = 4.62, SD = 0.64) respectively.

There was a positive relationship between the nurse managers’ perceptions of job-related empowerment and organisational commitment (r = .546, p<0.0001). There was a significant correlation between CWEQ and OCQ, however opportunity showed a significant correlation with organisational commitment (OCQ). Access to opportunity was a major determinant of their commitment to their respective organisations.