The relationship between workplace deviant behaviors and organizational justice among nurses: A cross‐sectional survey

Abstract

Aim This study aimed to determine the correlations between workplace deviant behaviors (WDBs) and the levels of the perceived organizational justice among Iranian nurses. Design This was a cross‐sectional quantitative research. Methods The present research was conducted on 424 nurses selected by a convenience sampling method in 2019 (May–August) in Tabriz, Iran. A self‐administered questionnaire, including demographic information, organizational justice, and WDBs, was used for data collection. The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, the Pearson correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression analysis. Results Based on the findings, nurses had a moderate level of perception of organizational justice while having a low level of perception regarding the occurrence of WDBs. A significantly reverse correlation was found between perceived organizational justice and WDBs (r = −.295, p <.001). Eventually, the findings of multiple linear regression analysis indicated that the level of perceived organizational justice could significantly predict WDBs (the coefficient of determination, R2 = 0.111). Conclusion The study findings confirmed the hypothesis that an improvement in the levels of organizational justice was related to a decrease in the occurrence of WDBs. Therefore, hospitals and nursing managers are suggested to build and maintain a supportive and healthy work environment to enhance the levels of perceived organizational justice and to minimize the incidence of WDBs. They should also address reward systems, organizational policies and procedures, interpersonal justice, and shared decision‐making in this respect.

Servant leadership in relation to organizational justice and workplace deviance in public hospitals

“…The results of the current research show a negative relationship between organizational justice and workplace deviance. These findings are also in line with the prior literature, which shows a negative relationship between these two variables (Berry et al , 2007; Colquitt et al , 2006; Faheem and Mahmud, 2015), specifically in the context of hospital nursing staff (Hashish, 2020; Kakemam et al , 2021).…”

“…Nurses play an important role in health-care organizations as they provide health-care services and are connected with human life; thus, a minor mistake, neglect or any negative behavior at work can bring irreparable injuries to patients (Kakemam et al , 2021). Thus, there is growing interest among scholars and practitioners regarding the negative workplace behaviors in the health-care sector, specifically related to the nursing staff.…”

“…Thus, there is growing interest among scholars and practitioners regarding the negative workplace behaviors in the health-care sector, specifically related to the nursing staff. Therefore, the number of studies examining the negative workplace behavior of the nursing staff is growing rapidly worldwide (Fitriastuti and Vanderstraeten, 2022; Hashish, 2020; Kakemam et al , 2021).…”

Organizational Justice and Health: A Survey in Hospital Workers

“…A Japanese study showed that female managers and professionals who suffer from low interpersonal justice in a workplace with unsupportive supervisors are more likely to engage in unhealthy coping behaviors to manage their stress [ 38 ]. Low perceived organizational justice is often associated with deviant behaviors [ 39 , 40 ]. Healthcare workers’ perceptions of organizational justice significantly predict turnover intention [ 41 , 42 ] and job satisfaction [ 43 ].…”

How General is General Strain Theory? An Inquiry of Workplace Deviance in Iran

“…Similarly, Kabiri et al (2022) found that 21% of their Iranian respondents engaged in occupational deviance behavior. Other studies have also uncovered the significant prevalence of occupational deviance across Iranian organizations (e.g., Bekhradinasab & Zholanezhad, 2021;Ghaedamini Harouni et al, 2022;Kakemam et al, 2021;Pooladi Kharasha & Esmaeili Shad, 2019;Teimouri et al, 2021). Lastly, there have been previous attempts to examine the issue of workplace deviance in the Iranian banking industry (Baghini et al, 2014;Ebrahimpour Ahandani et al, 2019), but most of these studies have been conducted from a management perspective.…”