Exploring the impact of workplace spirituality on nurse work engagement: an empirical study on Indonesian government hospitals

Abstract

PurposeHighlighting the prominence of spirituality at work, this paper aims to scrutinize the mediating role of perceived person-organization fit (P-O fit) on the relationship between workplace spirituality and nurse work engagement in the context of two Indonesian government hospital.Design/methodology/approachCross-sectional survey data of 138 nursing staff from two government hospitals operating in Indonesia were analyzed using structural equation modeling to estimate the mediation effects of perceived P-O fit on the relationship between workplace spirituality and nurse engagement.FindingsThe results of the research proved the positive effect of workplace spirituality on nurse work engagement. Likewise, P-O fit act as a mechanism through which workplace spirituality affects nurse engagement.Research limitations/implicationsThis study only uses a sample of two government hospitals, which may limit the generalizability of the outcomes. Despite of the small sample, the result of this inquiry provides new insights into the advancement of human behavior theory in hospital service, especially on the factors that influence nurse work engagement. On a broader sense, top management might set a necessary program to wholly nurture nurse spiritual potential as a step to convalesce their spiritual awareness.Practical implicationsBased on the discovery, the study presents strong theoretical and managerial implications that can be used by health care institutions to evaluate the importance of workplace spirituality on employee engagement among nurses. This paper contributes by fulfilling the fissure in the management literature of health care, in which empirical studies on workplace spirituality in the relationship with employee engagement have been scarce until now.Originality/valueThe present perceived P-O fit in the relation between the spirituality of the workplace and nurse engagement enhances human behavior theory in the health care context.