A LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF WORKPLACE EMPOWERMENT ON STAFF NURSES WORK SATISFACTION

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A LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF
WORKPLACE EMPOWERMENT ON STAFF NURSES WORK
SATISFACTION
Heather K. Spence Laschinger, PhD, RN Professor
and Associate Director Nursing Research, School
of Nursing The University of Western Ontario,
London, Ontario Joan Finegan, PhD Associate
Professor, Department of Psychology The
University of Western Ontario, London,
Ontario Judith Shamian, PhD, RN Executive
Director of Nursing Policy Health Canada, Ottawa,
Ontario Piotr Wilk, MA Department of
Sociology The University of Western Ontario,
London, Ontario Partnerships in Nursing
Research Challenges, Effectiveness and
Spin-Offs June 12-15, 2002 Quebec City,
Quebec Funded by Social Sciences Humanities
Research Council of Canada Extramural Grants
Program 410-93-0611
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Background and Rationale for Study

• Nursing work conditions have deteriorated
  following extensive downsizing (Buerhaus, et al.,
  2000)
• Recruitment and retention major issues with
  nursing shortage and aging workforce (OBrien
  Pallas, et al., 1999)
• Almost a third of nurses in a 4-country study
  were dissatisfied with their jobs (Aiken, et al.,
  2001)
• Need to find ways to create positive work
  environments to address this situation

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Purpose

• To test a longitudinal model of Rosabeth Moss
  Kanters structural theory of work empowerment
  linking changes in staff nurses workplace
  empowerment to changes in their work satisfaction
  over time.

School of Nursing The University of Western
Ontario
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Theoretical Framework
Relationship of Concepts in Rosabeth Kanters
(1979) Structural Theory of Power in
Organizations
Location in formal informal systems
(Psychological Empowerment)
Formal Power Job definition Discretion
(flexible) Recognition (visible) Relevance
(central)
achievement and successes
increased autonomy
opportunity structures
decreased job stress
respect and cooperation in organization
influences
leads to
results in
power structures resources information suppor
t
lowered burnout
determines
Informal Power Connections inside the
organization alliance with sponsors
peers subordinates cross functional
groups Connections outside the organization
increased satisfaction
client satisfaction
increased commitment
proportions structure
Laschinger, Finegan, Shamain, Wilk, 2001
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Formal Power
...results from jobs that afford flexibility,
visibility and are relevant to key
organizational process...
Informal Power
...evolves from an individuals network of
alliances with sponsors, peers and
subordinates both within and outside of the
organization...
School of Nursing The University of Western
Ontario
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Opportunity
...includes autonomy, growth, a sense of
challenge and the chance to learn and grow...
Information
...the data, technical knowledge and expertise
required to function effectively in ones
position...
Support
...feedback and guidance received from
superiors, peers and subordinates...
Resources
...the materials, money, supplies, equipment and
time necessary to accomplish organizational
goals...
School of Nursing The University of Western
Ontario
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Staff Nurse Empowerment related to

• Organizational Commitment - Wilson Laschinger,
  1994 McDermott, 1994 Laschinger, Finegan,
  Shamian Wilk, 2000 Dubuc, 1995
• Job Satisfaction - Whyte, 1995 Kutzscher,
  Sabiston, Laschinger Nish, 1997 Laschinger,
  Finegan, Shamian Wilk, 2000 Casier, 1999
• Control Over Practice/Autonomy - Laschinger
  Havens, 1995 Huffman, 1995
• Job tension, burnout - Laschinger Havens, 1997
  OBrien, 1997 Laschinger Hatcher, 1994
• Job Strain - Laschinger, Finegan, Shamian
  Wilk, 2000 Almost, 2000
• Job Performance - Govers, 1997

School of Nursing The University of Western
Ontario
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Psychological Empowermentpsychological state
that employees must experience for empowerment
interventions to be successful (Spreitzer, 1995)

• Four components
• meaning - congruence between job requirements
  and beliefs
  competence - confidence in abilities
• self-determination - feelings of control over
  ones work
• impact - sense of being able to influence
  important outcomes
  within the organization
• Associated with managers access to strategic
  information in the organization and to
  information on their units quality and cost
  performance (Spreitzer, 1995).
• Associated with organizational commitment
  (Spreitzer, 1995 Kramer, Siebert, Liden,
  1999).
• Strongly related to structural empowerment
  (Laschinger, et al., 2001)

School of Nursing The University of Western
Ontario
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Job Satisfaction

• Consistently predicted by autonomy, good
  communication with supervisors and peers,
  organizational commitment, and job stress
  (Blegen, 1993, Irvine Evans, 1995)
• Meta-analysis of 67 studies in general management
  literature found job dissatisfaction to be a
  strong predictor of turnover behaviour (Griffeth,
  Hom Gaertner, 2000)
• Empowerment has been show to predict factors
  associated with voluntary turnover, in
  particular, job satisfaction (Whyte, 1995
  Laschinger, Finegan, Shamian, 2001)

School of Nursing The University of Western
Ontario
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Hypothesized Model to be Tested
Meaning
Confidence
Autonomy
Impact
Opportunity
Information
Changes in Psychological Empowerment
Support
Changes In Job Satisfaction
Changes in Structural Empowerment
Resources
Formal Power
Happy to retire here
Satisfied with job
Informal Power
Co-workers satisfied
Supportive environment
School of Nursing The University of Western
Ontario
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Hypothesized model

• employees who became more empowered over time
  would become more psychologically empowered and
  job satisfied (since they would have gained more
  support and resources to accomplish their work,
  therefore giving them a sense of satisfaction)
• having access to structural sources of
  empowerment results in feelings of psychological
  empowerment

School of Nursing The University of Western
Ontario
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Methods

• Design Longitudinal Non-experimental Predictive
  Design
• Data Collection Mail survey using Dillman
  approach
• Return rate Time 1 - 73
• Time 2 - 69
• Staff nurses N
  185
• Sample Random sample selected from provincial
  registry list
• Surveyed at 2 points in time (1998 and 2001)
• Instrumentation
• Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire-II
  (Laschinger et al, 2001)
• Psychological Empowerment Scale (Spreitzer, 1995)
• Global Work Satisfaction Scale (Laschinger
  Havens, 1996)
• Cronbach alpha range .77 - .89

School of Nursing The University of Western
Ontario
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Demographics

• n
• Gender
• Male 91 49.1
• Female 94 50.8
• Work Status
• Full-Time 120 64.7
• Part-Time 65 35.3
• Education
• Diploma 144 78.7
• Degree 39 21.3
• Specialty Areas
• Medical-surgical 45 27.3
• Critical care 62 37.6
• Maternal-child
  21 12.7
• Psychiatric 37 22.4
• Mean SD
• Age 43 7.33
• Years in Nursing 19 7.66
• Year of Unit Experiences
  10 6.78

School of Nursing The University of Western
Ontario
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Methods

• 2-wave co-variable SEM analysis (Raykov, 1993)
• a dynamic change model reflecting a process of
  change across time -assesses inter-relatedness
  between changes in latent variables on one
  another with both having been repeatedly measured
  on the same individuals
• Stage I Assess measurement models for validity
  and stability across time
• i) validity of correlated error models of
  indicators across time established
• ii) time invariant measurement models (strong
  fit indices and similar loadings)
  
• Stage II Structural model effect of T1
  variables on T2 referents
• hypothesized direct effects were supported,
  indirect effect not significant
• overall model had good fit statistics (?²667.45,
  df342, IFI.979, CFI.979
• RMSEA.07)
• explained variance in T2 job satisfaction was 37
  greater when compared to previous stability model
  suggesting that satisfaction at time 2 depends
  more on changes in structural empowerment than
  the level of job satisfaction at time 1

School of Nursing The University of Western
Ontario
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Examination of Cross-time Stability of
Measurement Model

• A. Difference between correlated and uncorrelated
  errors in measurement models
• Latent Variable
• Structural Empowerment ? Chi Square 120.034
  (?df 6)
• Psychological Empowerment ? Chi Square
  72.555 (?df 4)
• Job Satisfaction ? Chi Square 58.175
  (?df 4)
• B. Difference between Constrained and
  Unconstrained Models
• Latent Variable
• Structural Empowerment ? Chi Square 14.685
  (?df 5)
• Psychological Empowerment ? Chi Square 6.058
  (?df 3)
• Job Satisfaction ? Chi Square 2.189 (?df
  3)

School of Nursing The University of Western
Ontario
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Longitudinal Change Model 1998-2001
Timeline 1998 2001
Change Variables
Job Satisfaction Time 1
Job Satisfaction Time 2
Job Satisfaction Change
.08
Psychological Empowerment Time 1
Psychological Empowerment Time 2
Psychological Empowerment Change
.70
Structural Empowerment Change
.38
Structural Empowerment Time 1
Structural Empowerment Time 2
?²667.45 Df342 IFI.979 CFI.979 RMSEA.07
p?.05
Statistical Representation
Conceptual Representation
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CONCLUSIONS

• Access to work empowerment structures strongly
  affected staff nurses feelings of psychological
  empowerment and job satisfaction across a three
  year time frame.
• The CWEQ-II demonstrated time-invariant
  measurement properties suggesting stability over
  time
• Support for the longitudinal model in this study
  strengthens the results of previous
  cross-sectional studies testing Kanters theory.
• Fostering environments that enhance perceptions
  of empowerment can have enduring positive effects
  and can be used as an effective recruitment and
  retention strategy.

School of Nursing The University of Western
Ontario