Abstract
BackgroundStructural empowerment is an ever-evolving concept interpreted and applied in many different ways as it focuses on the structures in a healthcare organisation to allow competent nurses to manage empowering opportunities in a professional manner. At a public hospital in the Western Cape, nurses complained about a lack of access to structural empowerment in a hospital, including structures of power, such as clear information, to partake in important decisions.ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to describe how nurse managers could support nurses in accessing structural empowerment through power resources.MethodA quantitative design was followed with a survey. The accessible population in this study was different categories of nurses of professional, enrolled and assistant nurses (N = 200), which were on duty at the time of data gathering. The sample was selected by means of probability sampling (n = 110). An existing instrument based on a five-point Likert scale was distributed that took 45 minutes to complete. Descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated, and the chi-square was used to indicate statistical significance differences among the nursing categories on the items (p < 0.05).ResultsThe general results indicated that the majority of nurses had challenges to access structural empowerment through power sources (information, support and resources). Significant differences were found between nurse categories for having the necessary supplies for the job (p = 0.043) and rewards for unusual job performance (p = 0.023). Those aspects on which no significant differences were found are of utmost importance, as they indicate the urgency of addressing limitations in power sources for all categories of nurses.ConclusionEmpowerment can be achieved by enabling access to structural empowerment through power sources (i.e. opportunities, information, resources and support) at different levels for all categories of nurses.
Highlights
Employee empowerment has always been an interesting domain for researchers as it supports organisations in enhancing the work performance of nurses and improves their work satisfaction (Raza et al 2015:1)
The aim of empowerment is to create a healthcare organisation composed of skilled, competent nurses who fulfil their duties professionally while enjoying it, providing the best knowledgeable resources related to their performance, as required by the organisation (Saremi 2016:6)
professional nurses (PNs) knew less than enrolled nurses (ENs) about the current state of the hospital, which is disturbing as PNs are the leaders of lower categories
Summary
Employee empowerment has always been an interesting domain for researchers as it supports organisations in enhancing the work performance of nurses and improves their work satisfaction (Raza et al 2015:1). Structural empowerment focuses on structures of, for example, power sources that enhance shared decision-making, influence of nurses, lifelong professional development, and strong community partnerships. This ensures that the organisation’s mission, vision and values come to life (Lippincott Solutions 2017). Structural empowerment is an ever-evolving concept interpreted and applied in many different ways as it focuses on the structures in a healthcare organisation to allow competent nurses to manage empowering opportunities in a professional manner. At a public hospital in the Western Cape, nurses complained about a lack of access to structural empowerment in a hospital, including structures of power, such as clear information, to partake in important decisions
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