Investigation of the relationship between structural empowerment and organizational  commitment of nurses in Zanjan hospitals.

Fereidoun Eskandari, Soheila Rabie Siahkali, Alireza Shoghli, Mehrnoosh Pazargadi, Mansoreh Zaghari Tafreshi
1. Department of Nursing Management, Mousavi Teaching Hospital, ZanjanUniversity of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran
2. Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran
3. Department of Health Management, School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical
Sciences, Zanjan, Iran
4. Department of Management, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University
of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
5. Department of School of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Abstract
Background: The demanding nature of nursing work environments signals longstanding and growing concerns about nurses’ health and job satisfaction and the provision of quality care. Specifically in health care settings, nurse leaders play an essential role in creating supportive work environments to avert these negative trends and increase nurse job satisfaction.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between structural empowerment and organizational commitment of nurses.

Methods: 491 nurses working in Zanjan hospitals participated in this descriptive-correlational study in 2010. Tools for data collection were Meyer and Allen’s organizational commitment questionnaire and “Conditions for Work Effectiveness Questionnaire-II” (CWEQ-II). Data was analyzed by SPSS16. The statistical tests such as variance analysis, t-test, pearson correlation coefficient and linear regression were used for data analysis.

Results: According to the findings, the perception of nurses working in hospitals on “Structural Empowerment” was moderate (15.98±3.29). Nurses believed “opportunity” as the most important element in structural empowerment with the score of 3.18 ±0.79. Nurses working in non-academic hospitals and in non-teaching hospitals had higher organizational commitment than others. There was a significant relationship between structural empowerment and organizational commitment.

Conclusion: Generally, structural empowerment (relatively strong) correlates with nurses’ organizational commitment. We concluded that a high structural empowerment increases the organizational commitment of nurses.

Keywords: Structural empowerment, organizational commitment, nurses, Zanjan.