The effects of organizational commitment and structural empowerment on patient safety culture

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between patient safety culture and two attitudinal constructs: affective organizational commitment and structural empowerment. In doing so, the main and interaction effects of the two constructs on the perception of patient safety culture were assessed using a cohort of physicians. Design/methodology/approach Affective commitment was measured with the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire, whereas structural empowerment was assessed with the Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire-II. The abbreviated versions of these surveys were administered to a cohort of 71 post-doctoral medical residents. For the data analysis, hierarchical regression analyses were performed for the main and interaction effects of affective commitment and structural empowerment on the perception of patient safety culture. Findings A total of 63 surveys were analyzed. The results revealed that both affective commitment and structural empowerment were positively related to patient safety culture. A potential interaction effect of the two attitudinal constructs on patient safety culture was tested but no such effect was detected. Research limitations/implications This study suggests that there are potential benefits of promoting affective commitment and structural empowerment for patient safety culture in health care organizations. By identifying the positive associations between the two constructs and patient safety culture, this study provides additional empirical support for Kanter's theoretical tenet that structural and organizational support together helps to shape the perceptions of patient safety culture. Originality/value Despite the wide recognition of employee empowerment and commitment in organizational research, there has still been a paucity of empirical studies specifically assessing their effects on patient safety culture in health care organizations. To the authors' knowledge, this study is the first empirical study to examine the relationship between structural empowerment as proposed by Kanter and the culture of patient safety using physicians.

Relationship between ethical leadership and organisational commitment of nurses with perception of patient safety culture

“…and POPSC showed there is no significant relationship between these variables (p = .13); the study results were in line with Chen, Ng, and Li (2012) but they are not consistent with studies by James (2014) and Horwitz and Horwitz (2017). Results show that the OC of nurses in the present study has no effect on the POPSC and safe services.…”

Association between organizational citizenship behavior and patient safety culture from nurses’ perspectives: a descriptive correlational study

“…Today, healthcare organizations focus on the development of Patient Safety Culture (PSC), and formation of safety culture is dependent on the better performance of these organizations [2]. PSC includes common values and ideas, which create behavioral standards within an organization through interactions with organizational structures and control systems [1][2][3]. PSC is rooted in open communication, leadership, and teamwork ability of individuals, leading to their commitment to patient safety [2].…”

“…PSC is rooted in open communication, leadership, and teamwork ability of individuals, leading to their commitment to patient safety [2]. Development and maintenance of PSC can lead to the better performance of healthcare providers [2,3].…”

“…Among health professions, nurses play a key role in ensuring the quality and safety of healthcare services [1]. Recent studies have shown that high levels of organizational commitment [3,4] and job satisfaction [5] of nurses have positive effects on PSC. In addition, a PSC has positive effects on the nurses' performance [4] and hospital efficiency [2].…”

A Review of Literature on the Associations among Employee Empowerment, Work Engagement and Employee Performance

“…Kanter theory of structural empowerment is widely adopted by nurses' segment employees in the health organizations in the west. It is a predictor for increasing job satisfaction and decreasing the level of burnout (Sarmiento et al, 2004;O'Brien, 2010), reducing job strain (Laschinger et al, 2001), enhancing quality patient care (Regan & Rodriguez, 2011), in addition, boost effective commitment toward organization goals andplacing the culture of patient safety (Horwitz &Horwitz, 2017). Structural empowerment was implemented also in the education sector as an antecedent of organizational commitment and job satisfaction (Orgambídez-Ramos & Berrego-Alés, 2014; Khoshhal & Keshtegar, 2016).…”