Faye Anderson, RN, DNS, CNAA. Empowerment, Job Satisfaction, and Professional Governance of Nurses in Hospitals with and without Shared Governance: A Descriptive Correlational and Comparative Study . Doctoral dissertation (2000), School of Nursing, Louisiana State University Medical Center; New Orleans, LA.
Abstract
Empowerment of staff nurses through strategies, such as a shared governance structure, has been proposed as critical to improved quality care and containment of costs. The purpose of this descriptive comparative, correlation study was to determine if there is a significant difference in the indicators of empowerment, professional governance, and job satisfaction among staff nurses who practice in a hospital with a shared governance (SG) structure and staff nurses who practice in a hospital without a shared governance structure (NSG). A second purpose was to determine the relationship among the indicators of empowerment, professional governance, and job satisfaction of staff nurses. Klakovich’s revised Model of Registered Nurse Empowerment was the conceptual basis for the study of staff nurses in two southern hospitals. One hundred eight-three nurses from a possible 802 participated; 148 (32% response rate) were from the SG setting, and 35 (10.3%), from the NSG setting. The participants completed three survey instruments: the Index of Professional Governance, the Reciprocal Empowerment Scale, and the Index of Work Satisfaction.
Statistical analysis included multiple analysis of variance and Pearson’s product-moment correlation. Nurses in the SG setting had significantly higher scores in overall governance, empowerment, and job satisfaction than nurses in the NSG setting. Demographic variables did not impact results. A moderate significant relationship was found between governance and job satisfaction and governance and empowerment in both groups. A high significant relationship was found between empowerment and job satisfaction in both groups.
The results of this research suggest that shared governance is a strategy that promotes empowerment and job satisfaction. Since the potential sample from the NSG setting may differ in their views of governance, job satisfaction, and empowerment from the views of the small number of staff nurses who actually participated in the study, the results should be viewed with caution.