Nurses' Work Motivation and the Factors Affecting It: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Objective: This review is aimed to examine nurses' work motivation and factors affecting it.Methodology: Cochrane library, MEDLINE, PubMed, Science Direct, Cumulative Index Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), ProQuest and Ovid databases were searched, covering the period 2011 to 2017. Studies were included if they concerned nurses' work motivation and the factors affecting it. Results:In the yielded studies, nurses' work motivation is affected by several personal and organisational factors. Nurses' age, years of experience, autonomy, educational level and administrative positions were found as personal characteristics that affect nurses' work motivation level. Moreover, nurses' empowerment, work engagement, pay and financial benefits, supervision, promotion, contingent rewards, supportive relationship (co-workers), communication and nature of work were identified in the literature as organizational factors affecting nurses' work motivation. Conclusion:This review confirmed that nurses' work motivation was often affected by several personal and organizational factors which are crucial in affecting the level of nurses' work motivation.

The relationship between nurses' work‐related variables, colleague solidarity and job motivation

“…Motivation creates a source of energy that can inspire people and initiate the necessary behaviours in them to achieve their intended goals. Organisational motivation is described as the stimulus of work behaviour that guides the employee's efforts to achieve the goals of the organisation (Baljoon, Banjar, & Banakhar, ). The willingness of employees to work and stay in an organisation depends on the extent to which they are motivated (Adams & Hicks, ).…”

“…The willingness of employees to work and stay in an organisation depends on the extent to which they are motivated (Adams & Hicks, ). Work motivation is an essential measure in evaluating employees' responses to increasing demands and challenges (Baljoon et al, ). Health care managers have to make appropriate use of motivation to inspire the organisational goals of the employees (Baljoon et al, ; Said, Abed, & Abdo, ).…”

“…Motivation is a complex concept that involves wishes, desires, needs, impulses and interests and is defined as the effect or motive that activates a particular behaviour (Baljoon et al, ; Ulukuş, ). Factors that provide motivation for work vary depending on the differences between the needs and personality traits of employees (Porter, Riesenmy, & Fields, ).…”

“…Psychosocial factors include such strategies as appreciating the employee, enabling him or her to work independently, ensuring the person an organisational fit, supporting the development and success of the employee, respecting his or her personality and private life, making him or her feel safe psychologically, ensuring his or her participation in sociocultural activities, providing him or her with consultancy, and providing an attractive work environment. Among the organisational factors are the processes associated with organisational policies, such as creating a unity of purpose, transferring authority, ensuring balance between authority and responsibility, creating a democratic management environment and allowing employees to participate in decisions, creating an effective communication system, leadership, providing opportunity for development and progress, and job security (Baljoon et al, ; Tarakçıoğlu et al, ).…”

“…It has been determined that intrinsic motivation is positively affected when there are positive relationships based on trust in the workplace (Okello & Gilson, ). It has also been determined that wage and fringe benefits increase motivation, and that of the non‐financial approaches, leadership skills and supervision, ongoing professional development, infrastructure and resource availability are factors that increase motivation (Adzei & Atinga, ; Baljoon et al, ). Although wage increases play an important part in increasing motivation, strengthening of leadership by providing employees with development opportunities and increasing their job satisfaction are reported to be important factors that increase motivation (Baljoon et al, ; Bodur & İnfal, ; Peters et al, ).…”