Workplace Empowerment Research Articles

When industrial democracy and empowerment go hand-in-hand: A co-power approach

There is a growing debate between mainstream and critical empowerment theorists; the latter criticize empowerment interventions that could be disempowering when the real power continues to reside with management. To draw upon the tension between these dualistic views, this study investigates whether organizations with formal power structures of collective bargaining as represented by union density and employee representation provide a facilitative social environment for empowerment to grow. Based on two combined sets of secondary data collected for the ETUI in 2006 and EWCS in 2005 from 27 European countries, this study found that countries with a stronger union tradition demonstrated higher workplace empowerment and job satisfaction for individual workers than countries with a weaker union tradition. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Testing the effects of an empowerment-based leadership development programme: part 1 - leader outcomes

To determine if a leadership development programme based on an empowerment framework significantly increased leaders' use of empowering behaviours. Leadership programmes are effective ways to prepare nurse leaders for their complex roles. Relational competencies, such as leader empowering behaviours, are associated with improved leader, staff and practice environment outcomes. A quasi-experimental, pre-test-post-test design was used to compare perceptions and self-reported behaviours of leaders who participated in a year-long leadership programme with those of similar leaders who did not attend the programme. Multiple regression analyses were used to evaluate a conceptual framework of leader empowerment. The leadership programme was directly associated with leaders' perceptions of using more empowering behaviours. Leader empowering behaviours were also associated with feelings of being structurally empowered, mediated through feelings of being psychologically empowered, although the source of empowerment needs further investigation. Leaders' use of empowering behaviours can be increased through focused training and through a workplace empowerment process. Leader empowering behaviours have been shown to be associated with more engaged staff and healthier work environments. Based on study results, we suggest that these behaviours are teachable, and they should be emphasized in leadership development programmes.

Workplace empowerment and nurses' job satisfaction: a systematic literature review

This systematic review aimed to synthesize and analyse the studies that examined the relationship between nurse empowerment and job satisfaction in the nursing work environment. Job dissatisfaction in the nursing work environment is the primary cause of nursing turnover. Job satisfaction has been linked to a high level of empowerment in nurses. We reviewed 596 articles, written in English, that examined the relationship between structural empowerment, psychological empowerment and nurses' job satisfaction. Twelve articles were included in the final analysis. A significant positive relation was found between empowerment and nurses' job satisfaction. Structural empowerment and psychological empowerment affect job satisfaction differently. A satisfying work environment for nurses is related to structural and psychological empowerment in the workplace. Structural empowerment is an antecedent of psychological empowerment and this relationship culminates in positive retention outcomes such as job satisfaction. This review could be useful for guiding leaders' strategies to develop and maintain an empowering work environment that enhances job satisfaction. This could lead to nurse retention and positive organisational and patient outcomes.

The Influence of Authentic Leadership and Empowerment on New-Graduate Nurses’ Perceptions of Interprofessional Collaboration

The aim of this study was to examine new-graduate nurses' perceptions of the influence of authentic leadership and structural empowerment on the quality of interprofessional collaboration in healthcare work environments. Although the challenges associated with true interprofessional collaboration are well documented, new-graduate nurses may feel particularly challenged in becoming contributing members. Little research exists to inform nurse leaders' efforts to facilitate effective collaboration in acute care settings. A predictive nonexperimental design was used to test a model integrating authentic leadership and workplace empowerment as resources that support interprofessional collaboration. Multiple regression analysis revealed that 24% of the variance in perceived interprofessional collaboration was explained by unit-leader authentic leadership and structural empowerment (R = 0.24, F = 29.55, P = .001). Authentic leadership (β = .294) and structural empowerment (β = .288) were significant independent predictors. Results suggest that authentic leadership and structural empowerment may promote interprofessional collaborative practice in new nurses.

Workplace Empowerment and Commitment: An Empirical Study

Relationship between psychological empowerment and organization commitment was empirically studied. Empowerment is granting power or enabling people to exercise power. Organizational commitment is understood as individual's identification with and involvement in the organization. The study was conducted on employees from the service industry. Results showed that psychological empowerment led to commitment at workplace.

When Industrial Democracy and Empowerment Go Hand in Hand: A Co-Power Approach (WITHDRAWN)

There is a growing debate between mainstream and critical empowerment theorists, in which the latter criticize empowerment interventions that could be disempowering when the real power continues to reside with management (Boje & Rosile, 2001; Clegg & Hardy, 1996; Collins, 1996). To draw upon the tension between these dualistic views, this study investigates whether organizations with formal power structures of collective bargaining, represented by union density and employee representation, would provide a facilitative social environment for empowerment to grow. Based on two combined sets of secondary data collected for the ETUI in 2006 and EWCS in 2005 from 27 European countries, this study found that countries with a stronger union tradition demonstrated higher workplace empowerment and job satisfaction for individual workers than countries with a weaker union tradition. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Motivation for Achievement and Structural Workplace Empowerment among Palestinian Healthcare Professionals

AbstractThis study tests Kanter’s theory of structural workplace empowerment. It maintains that previous research that attempted to do so failed to account for the effect of an important personal characteristic—i.e. employees’ achievement motivation. This body of research also failed to uncover the mechanisms by which personal characteristics of employees influence their perceived empowerment. Data was collected from a sample of 154 hospital nurses, in two major Palestinian hospitals, through a survey design and self-administered questionnaire. The results of multivariate regression analyses and path-analysis indicate that perceived empowerment is indirectly influenced by personal factors (including educational qualifications, experience, position, and motivation towards achievement) through more direct structural determinants (access to formal and informal lines of power). More significantly, motivation has a direct—albeit weak—impact on perceived empowerment, after the effects of the more proximate structural determinants are controlled for.

The Effect of Evidence Based Practice on Workplace Empowerment of Rural Registered Nurses

Through evidence based practice implementation, autonomous practice and innovation strategies can stimulate workplace empowerment, providing a framework for retention and recruitment within rural healthcare organizations. This pilot study determined the relationships that exist between evidence based practice use and workplace empowerment among rural Registered Nurses. Forty-two rural Registered Nurses completed an online survey examining their level of evidence based practice use and workplace empowerment. A Spearman’s rho found a strong, positive correlation between overall evidence based practice use and workplace empowerment ( r = 0.648, p < .001). Through regression analysis, educational background was determined to be a confounding variable for overall evidence based practice utilization and perceived level of workplace empowerment. While the resultant small sample size negates generalization of this pilot study to a larger population, the results uphold the premise that organizational support of innovation, as evident within the tenets of evidence based practice, can potentially impact nurses’ sense of empowerment in the workplace. The results are valuable to healthcare administrators, quality and risk professionals, professional development educators, and direct care nurses when determining the needs of RNs for evidence based practice education, mentorship, and advancement of organizational empowerment structures. Future studies should examine rural Registered Nurses’ workplace empowerment levels as a source of innovation, which can be a direct result of evidence based practice utilization. Evidence based practice, in conjunction with similar empowering work structures, can enhance rural nurses’ ability to implement highly reliable, quality healthcare services in an environment conducive to learning, autonomy, productivity, and innovation. Keywords: Evidence-based practice (EBP), Rural, Healthcare, Empowerment, Nursing, Workplace

Building Empowering Work Environments That Foster Civility And Organizational Trust

Creating supportive and empowering workplace conditions is important, not only because these conditions are related to improved nurse health and well-being but also because they are important for retaining top performing nurses. The current nursing shortage emphasizes the need to create such conditions. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of a workplace intervention (Civility, Respect, and Engagement in the Workplace [CREW]) on nurses' empowerment, experiences of supervisor and coworker incivility, and trust in nursing management. Registered nurses (Time 1, n = 755; Time 2, n = 573) working in 41 units across five hospitals in two provinces completed measures of workplace empowerment, supervisor and coworker incivility, and trust in management before and after a 6-month intervention. Eight units participated in the intervention, and 33 units were control groups. Multilevel modeling was used to test the impact of the intervention. A significant interaction of time by intervention was found for the access to support and resources empowerment structures, total empowerment, supervisor incivility, and trust in management. Compared with the control group, nurses who experienced the intervention program reported significant improvements in empowerment, supervisor incivility, and trust in management. Despite methodological challenges experienced in this study, the CREW process appears to be a promising intervention approach to enhance quality of nursing work environments, which may contribute to the retention of the nursing workforce.

Authentic leadership, performance, and job satisfaction: the mediating role of empowerment

To report a study conducted to test a model linking authentic leadership of managers with nurses' perceptions of structural empowerment, performance, and job satisfaction. Authentic leadership has been proposed as the root element of effective leadership needed to build healthier work environments because there is special attention to the development of empowering leader-follower relationships. Although the influence of leadership style and empowerment on job satisfaction is well documented, there are few studies examining the influence of authentic leadership on nurses' empowerment and work outcomes. A non-experimental, predictive survey. In 2008, a random sample of 600 Registered Nurses working in acute care hospitals across Ontario in Canada was surveyed. The final sample consisted of 280 (48% response rate) nurses. Variables were measured using the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire, Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire, Global Job Satisfaction Survey, and General Performance scale. The theoretical model was tested using structural equation modelling. The final model fit the data acceptably. Authentic leadership significantly and positively influenced staff nurses' structural empowerment, which in turn increased job satisfaction and self-rated performance. The results suggest that the more managers are seen as authentic, by emphasizing transparency, balanced processing, self-awareness and high ethical standards, the more nurses perceive they have access to workplace empowerment structures, are satisfied with their work, and report higher performance.

Employees' perspective on workplace empowerment: A study of the foreign banks in India

The concept of empowerment becomes relevant for the employees of foreign banks in the face of increased competition from public as well as private sector banks as also the increased level of customer expectations. The paper presents the results of a study conducted on 200 employees of various foreign banks spread across some states in North India. Two instruments were used to assess the levels of perceived levels of empowerment and presence as well as the extent of conditions that facilitate empowerment in the employees. Correlation and regression analyses were applied to fulfill the objectives of research. Discussion in light of previous studies on the subject has been followed up with conclusion and implications for further research. Key words: Human resource management, organizational studies.

Employees’ perspective on workplace empowerment: A study of the foreign banks in India

Employees’ perspective on workplace empowerment: A study of the foreign banks in India

Authentic leadership, empowerment and burnout: a comparison in new graduates and experienced nurses

To examine the effect of authentic leadership and structural empowerment on the emotional exhaustion and cynicism of new graduates and experienced acute-care nurses. Employee empowerment is a fundamental component of healthy work environments that promote nurse health and retention, and nursing leadership is key to creating these environments. In a secondary analysis of data from two studies we compared the pattern of relationships among study variables in two Ontario groups: 342 new graduates with <2 years of experience and 273 nurses with more than 2 years of experience. A multi-group path analysis using Structural Equation Modelling indicated an acceptable fit of the final model (χ(2) = 17.52, df = 2, P < 0.001, CFI = 0.97, IFI = 0.97 and RMSEA = 0.11). Authentic leadership significantly and negatively influenced emotional exhaustion and cynicism through workplace empowerment in both groups. The authentic behaviour of nursing leaders was important to nurses' perceptions of structurally empowering conditions in their work environments, regardless of experience level, and ultimately contributed to lower levels of emotional exhaustion and cynicism. Leadership training for nurse managers may help develop the empowering work environments required in today's health-care organizations in order to attract and retain nurses.

The Impact of Social Network Service, Trust and Cognition on Customer Loyalty in Internet Shopping

The development of information technology improves the globalization of the world economy. This change was able to expand the cyber space, and the online community known as the cyber community is made within the existing offline community. From the cyber community's activity, the concept of social network services created, and recently developed social computing. Social computing is the current situation and the next step in the online community. Currently, most CIOs are using social computing for workplace empowerment. As online transactions become more active, the strategy to increase customer loyalty in Internet shopping is an effective tool to increase profit for the company, and as a method to maintain competitive. With the growth of electronic commerce, through insurance of customer loyalty on the Internet, a company can establish a long-term relationship with customers, so for this, it is important to have reliable relationship with customers. Also, through advertisement and commercial information, the cognition of Internet shopping looks can be effective in retaining customers. In this study, it explores how social computing and trust and cognition of Internet shopping are effective in maintaining customer loyalty. As the result of study, the trust and cognition of Internet shopping are significantly effective on customer loyalty, but the sense of social computing. Still, social computing has not matured enough to be as effective in retaining customer loyalty. However, it does indicate that social computing has significantly increased the trust and cognition in Internet shopping. In this study, as the concepts of the social network service and social computing are applied in Internet shopping, which are actively discussed by scholars, it is expected that the basis of the study could improve and present the idea of social shopping.

Measurement of Workplace Empowerment Across Caregivers

Culture change models (CCM) developed to improve the provision of individualized care in long-term care (LTC) facilities often include initiatives that are thought to empower care staff. Therefore, the ability to measure empowerment accurately across all levels of care staff is necessary. The objective of this study was to examine the structure of responses by registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and care aides to 3 instruments measuring workplace empowerment: the Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire, Job Activities Scale, and Organizational Relationships Scale. Despite considerable differences in education and job function, both caregiver groups appear to interpret and respond to 38 of 40 empowerment items in a similar manner. Therefore, our findings support the inclusion of all care staff when using these instruments to measure work place empowerment in LTC settings.

Nurse Empowerment from a Middle-Management Perspective: Nurse Managers' and Assistant Nurse Managers' Workplace Empowerment Views

Researchers have explored empowerment as an important condition for nursing staff but little current research focuses on empowerment from a middle-management perspective. The purpose of this study was to assess the empowerment of a middle-management group made up of only nurse managers (NMs) and assistant nurse managers (ANMs) in an acute-care hospital setting. A questionnaire was distributed online to a convenience sample of NMs (n = 11) and ANMs (n = 31) working in an ethnically diverse acute-care hospital. Overall, this middle-management group did not feel empowered. Empowerment as perceived by middle management is crucial for carrying out leadership duties and, in turn, empowering frontline staff. Even though the work is challenging, resources and support, among other constructs of empowerment, must be improved to increase the empowerment of middle management. Nursing administration must understand the importance of an empowered middle management so that middle management can lead effectively and facilitate the delivery of safe, high-quality patient care.

Nursing Specialty Certification and Nursing-Sensitive Patient Outcomes in the Intensive Care Unit

To the public and to individual nurses, certification usually means expert, high-quality, competent nursing care. Little research, however, has yielded results that support, or refute, any differences in clinical practice between certified and noncertified nurses. To determine whether the proportion of certified nurses on a unit is associated with the rate of nurse-sensitive patient outcomes. A nonexperimental, correlational, descriptive design was used to anonymously survey 866 nurses working in 25 intensive care units in Southeast Michigan. The Conditions for Work Effectiveness Questionnaire-II was used to measure workplace empowerment, and an additional question was asked about certification status. Outcome data were simultaneously collected on 3 nurse-sensitive patient outcomes: (1) rate of central line catheter-associated blood stream infection, (2) rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia, and (3) prevalence of pressure ulcers. Data were aggregated and analyzed at the unit level. No significant relationship was found between the proportion of certified nurses on a unit and patients' outcomes. The association between nurses' perception of overall work-place empowerment and certification, however, was positive and statistically significant (r=.397, P=.05). Although a link between certification and nurse-sensitive outcomes was not established, the association between workplace empowerment and the proportion of certified nurses on a unit underscores the importance of organizational factors in the promotion of nursing certification.

The relationship between structural empowerment and psychological empowerment for nurses: a systematic review

To describe the findings of a systematic review examining the relationship between structural empowerment and psychological empowerment for registered nurses (RNs). Workplace empowerment research reveals a link between empowerment and positive work behaviours and attitudes. Research demonstrating the essential relationship between structural empowerment and psychological empowerment will provide direction for future interventions aimed at the development of a strong and effective health care sector. Published research articles examining structural empowerment and psychological empowerment for nurses were selected from computerized databases and selected websites. Data extraction and methodological quality assessment were completed for the included research articles. Ten papers representing six studies reveal significant associations between structural empowerment and psychological empowerment for RNs. Creation of an environment that provides structural empowerment is an important organizational strategy that contributes to RNs' psychological empowerment and ultimately leads to positive work behaviours and attitudes. Critical structural components of an empowered workplace can contribute to a healthy, productive and innovative RN workforce with increased job satisfaction and retention.

Structural empowerment, job satisfaction, and turnover intention of Chinese clinical nurses

The purpose of this study was to examine the levels of workplace structural empowerment perceived by Chinese clinical nurses, as well as to identify the relationship between nurses' perceptions of empowerment and job satisfaction, and turnover intention. A total of 189 staff nurses from two hospitals in central China completed a self-administered questionnaire. The results indicated that these nurses perceived moderate levels of workplace empowerment. Structural empowerment and job satisfaction were found to be negatively related to turnover intention. These findings have important implications for administrators providing an effective work environment for clinical nurses.

Workplace Empowerment and Magnet Hospital Characteristics as Predictors of Patient Safety Climate

This study tested a theoretical model derived from Kanter's theory of workplace empowerment by surveying a random sample of 300 registered nurses employed in acute care hospitals across the Canadian province of Ontario. The results of this study effectively replicated the findings of a previous exploratory study. Specific nursing practice environment characteristics that positively influence the climate of patient safety were identified. This study provides nurse leaders with ideas for improving the patient safety climate by improving the quality of nurses' work environments.