The relationship between hospital unit culture and nurses' quality of work life

Turnover rates for hospital nurses have been increasing in recent years, which is partially a result of increasing pressure on nurses from higher productivity expectations in a managed care environment. Improving nurse retention is a difficult challenge to managers since the bureaucratic cultural no...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of healthcare management 2002-01, Vol.47 (1), p.13-25
Main Authors: Gifford, Blair D, Zammuto, Raymond F, Goodman, Eric A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arizona
Colorado
Company personnel management
Delivery Rooms - manpower
Delivery Rooms - organization & administration
Employment
Health administration
Health care industry
Human resource management
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Interviews as Topic
Job Satisfaction
Models, Organizational
Nurses
Nursing Administration Research
Nursing Staff, Hospital - psychology
Obstetric Nursing - manpower
Obstetric Nursing - organization & administration
Organizational Culture
Personnel Loyalty
Personnel Turnover
Quality of Life
Quality of work life
Social Environment
Surveys and Questionnaires
Utah
Workplace - psychology
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Summary:Turnover rates for hospital nurses have been increasing in recent years, which is partially a result of increasing pressure on nurses from higher productivity expectations in a managed care environment. Improving nurse retention is a difficult challenge to managers since the bureaucratic cultural norm of hospitals, with its hierarchical structures, rules, and regulations, and heavy emphasis on measurement of outcomes and costs, may not be the culture most conducive to enhancing nurses' job satisfaction and commitment. Accordingly, this study investigates the relationships between unit organizational culture and several important job-related variables for nurse retention in the labor and delivery units of seven hospitals. Data analysis shows that unit organizational culture does affect nurses' quality of work life factors and that human relations cultural values are positively related to organizational commitment, job involvement, empowerment, and job satisfaction, and negatively related to intent to turnover. These findings suggest that although increasing recruitment of nurses and improved compensation and benefits strategies may offset hospital nurse shortages in the short term, improving quality of work life may be a more practical and long-term approach to improving hospital nurse retention.
ISSN:1096-9012
DOI:10.1097/00115514-200201000-00005