Kanter's Theory Of Structural Empowerment Research Articles

Empowering Employees: A Portuguese Adaptation of the Conditions of Work Effectiveness (CWEQ-II)

The aim of this study was to adapt and translate into Portuguese the Conditions for Work Effectiveness Questionnaire (CWEQ-II) (Laschinger, Finegan, Shamian, & Wilk, 2004). A process of translation and reverse-translation was applied to the questionnaire's items, whose psychometric properties were examined using a sample of 282 Portuguese university employees, teachers and services staff. The data were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis, item analysis and reliability analysis. Criterion-related validity was analyzed using a multiple regression model on global empowerment and t-test. The results confirmed the original, four-factor structure obtained by Laschinger and colleagues (2004), supporting Kanter's structural empowerment theory. The psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the CWEQ-II were adequate, supporting the use of this questionnaire in the workplace. Future research should investigate its construct validity and test the nomological network of the operationalized construct within the field of psychological well-being and in the context of the workplace.

Predicting emotional exhaustion among haemodialysis nurses: a structural equation model using Kanter's structural empowerment theory.

To test an explanatory model of the relationships between the nursing work environment, job satisfaction, job stress and emotional exhaustion for haemodialysis nurses, drawing on Kanter's theory of organizational empowerment. Understanding the organizational predictors of burnout (emotional exhaustion) in haemodialysis nurses is critical for staff retention and improving nurse and patient outcomes. Previous research has demonstrated high levels of emotional exhaustion among haemodialysis nurses, yet the relationships between nurses' work environment, job satisfaction, stress and emotional exhaustion in this population are poorly understood. A cross-sectional online survey. 417 nurses working in haemodialysis units completed an online survey between October 2011-April 2012 using validated measures of the work environment, job satisfaction, job stress and emotional exhaustion. Overall, the structural equation model demonstrated adequate fit and we found partial support for the hypothesized relationships. Nurses' work environment had a direct positive effect on job satisfaction, explaining 88% of the variance. Greater job satisfaction, in turn, predicted lower job stress, explaining 82% of the variance. Job satisfaction also had an indirect effect on emotional exhaustion by mitigating job stress. However, job satisfaction did not have a direct effect on emotional exhaustion. The work environment of haemodialysis nurses is pivotal to the development of job satisfaction. Nurses' job satisfaction also predicts their level of job stress and emotional exhaustion. Our findings suggest staff retention can be improved by creating empowering work environments that promote job satisfaction among haemodialysis nurses.

Empowering Employees: Structural Empowerment as Antecedent of Job Satisfaction in University Settings

With more organizations looking for employees who take the initiative and respond creatively to the challenges of the job, empowerment becomes important at both individual and organizational levels. Empowered employees are generally more satisfied with their work, committed and effective at work. According to Kanter's structural empowerment, this study examines the role of access to opportunity, resources, support and information, and two types of power, formal and informal, as antecedents of job satisfaction. A cross sectional study using questionnaires was conducted. The sample consisted of 226 Spanish university teachers. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses have revealed that intrinsic job satisfaction was significantly predicted by formal power and access to opportunity, and job satisfaction with supervisor was predicted by informal power, and access to resources, information, and support. Results support Kanter's theory of structural empowerment, and suggest strong relationships between job satisfaction and structural empowerment. It is a link between empowering work settings and organizational outcomes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment, effectiveness). On a practical level, Kanter's structural empowerment theory provides a framework for understanding empowering workplaces and empowered employees.

The Effect of Problem-Based Learning on Nursing Students' Perceptions of Empowerment

This study tested Kanter's structural empowerment theory within a university nursing student population. Differences in perceptions of empowerment among nursing students enrolled in either a problem-based learning (PBL) or a conventional lecture learning (CLL) program were examined, as well as the relationship between perceptions of structural empowerment in the learning environment and feelings of psychological empowerment. Participants completed measures of structural and psychological empowerment adapted to educational settings, as well as measures related to exposure to various learning strategies in their programs and clinical problem-solving abilities. Students in the PBL program (n = 41) had significantly higher perceptions of structural and psychological empowerment than students in the CLL program (n = 67). Regardless of academic program, structural empowerment was strongly positively related to psychological empowerment. The results of this study are the first to support the applicability of Kanter's theory to nursing education settings.

Workplace empowerment and magnet hospital characteristics: making the link.

To test a theoretical model linking nurses' perceptions of workplace empowerment, magnet hospital characteristics, and job satisfaction in 3 independent studies of nurses in different work settings. Strategies proposed in Kanter's structural empowerment theory have the potential to result in work environments that are described in terms of magnet hospital characteristics. Identifying factors that contribute to work conditions that attract and retain highly qualified committed nurses, such as those found in magnet hospitals, that can be put in place by nursing administrators is extremely important for work redesign to promote professional nursing practice. Secondary analyses of data from 3 studies were conducted--2 of staff nurses and 1 with acute care nurse practitioners working in Ontario, Canada. The Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire-II, the NWI-R, and measures of job satisfaction were used to measure the major study variables.RESULTS The results of all 3 studies support the hypothesized relationships between structural empowerment and the magnet hospital characteristics of autonomy, control over practice environment, and positive nurse-physician relationships. The combination of access to empowering work conditions and magnet hospital characteristics was significantly predictive of nurses' satisfaction with their jobs. These findings suggest that nursing leaders' efforts to create empowering work environments can influence nurses' ability to practice in a professional manner, ensuring excellent patient care quality and positive organizational outcomes.