The Relationship Between the Characteristics of Nursing Care Delivery Systems and Work-Motivation, Satisfaction, and Intent to Leave

Type of resource
Author/collaborator
Title
The Relationship Between the Characteristics of Nursing Care Delivery Systems and Work-Motivation, Satisfaction, and Intent to Leave
Abstract
The author describes the relationship between motivation, job satisfaction, characteristics of nursing care delivery systems, and intent to leave, and considers the applicability and usefulness of the Job Characteristics Model (JCM) of work motivation to the work of nursing in four McGill University teaching hospitals. The population consisted of over four hundred nurses who work in medical surgical units of four McGill University teaching hospitals. A total of one hundred and fifty-nine useable questionnaires were collected for a response rate of 40%. Respondents were full and part time nurses with an average age of 36 years and eight years of nursing experience. More than 90% of the nurses reported primary nursing/total patient care to be the model in use. However, the author found that variations in the attributes of delivery systems within that one model attest to the variations that exist within models. She found that feedback, communication, support for autonomy and time on patient care contributed to the development of the internal psychological states. The proposals of the Job Characteristics Model were generally supported by the data. The psychological states, referred to by Hackman and Oldham as the causal core of the model, mediated between the core job characteristics and the outcomes. The factors of autonomy, significance and meaningfulness of the work of nursing played an important role in nurses' perceptions of their jobs. Work environment and work content were more strongly related to an intent to leave than external or individual factors. The author found that general satisfaction increased and intent to leave decreased as the patient environment became less complex. There were no differences in her study findings according to education, but job satisfaction was higher for nurses with more than ten years of experience and for those who were 50 years of age or older. Findings supported the utility of the JCM as a model of work motivation and satisfaction for nurses. The addition of specific attributes of support for autonomy, exchange of information, and inclusion of environmental complexity contributed to a fuller understanding of the factors in nursing related to motivation and satisfaction, and led to the development of a revised model of job characteristics for nursing.
Type
PhD dissertation
University
McGill University
Place
Montreal
Date
1997
Language
en
URL
Citation
Edgar, Linda. “The Relationship Between the Characteristics of Nursing Care Delivery Systems and Work-Motivation, Satisfaction, and Intent to Leave.” PhD dissertation, McGill University, 1997. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/thesescanada/vol1/QMM/TC-QMM-34636.pdf.
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