Application of R. M. Kanter's structural theory of organizational behavior to retention of professional nurses in hospital positions: A secondary data analysis.

摘要

The purpose of this study was to test Rosabeth Moss Kanter's Structural Theory of Organizational Behavior, applying it to the issue of retaining Registered Nurses in hospital based nursing positions. Three main components of Kanter's theory are Power, Opportunity, and Worker Effectiveness in the job. Kanter's proposed relationships were tested using an archived data set from the late 1980s. The hypotheses were (1) Power and Opportunity are positively and directly related to Worker Effectiveness, and (2) Power and Opportunity are positively correlated. These proposed relationships were the basis for the structural model.;The method used to test the hypotheses and to answer three research questions about the influence of selected antecedent variables on the proposed relationships included the identification of a measurement model by an expert panel. The model was further defined using confirmatory factor analysis. The measurement model was comprised of indicators for Kanter's theoretical constructs derived from selected items from previously developed scales intended to measure variables that were significant predictors in studies on nurse retention and turnover.;The positive relationship between Opportunity in the work environment and Worker Effectiveness was significant. Power was not significantly related to Worker Effectiveness. The positive correlation between Power and Opportunity approached significance. When the antecedent variables of Personal Experience, Position of the Nurse, and Type of Hospital were included in the model, Opportunity had a stronger relationship with Worker Effectiveness, and Power had a weaker relationship. The relationship of older, more tenured nurses (Personal Experience) with Worker Effectiveness was mediated through a significant, negative relationship with Opportunity. The negative relationship Position of the Nurse had with Power approached significance. Type of Hospital (medical center) was related to Worker Effectiveness directly in a significant, negative relationship and indirectly through a significant, negative relationship with Opportunity.;In light of the findings of this study, nurse administrators and managers need to consider the importance of providing opportunities for staff nurses to advance in their jobs (especially in smaller hospitals) and recognizing that nurses are individual contributors to their jobs and organizations, despite their age, tenure, or the type of hospital in which they work.