Frontline nurses’ appraisal of organizational attractiveness and the role of management support, interdepartmental collaboration climate and service quality of care

© Emerald Publishing LimitedPurpose – This paper aims to examine the factors related to organizational attractiveness (OA), a concept originating in the strategy of employer branding. Previous research on OA has predominantly adopted the perspective of external applicants. In contrast, the present study takes the perspective of internal and current employees, extending further the scope of studies on OA. Design/methodology/approach – Quantitative data were collected from a survey consisting of a sample of 164 nurses, all employees of public hospitals. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the data. Furthermore, the indirect effects were tested by mediator analysis. Findings – Interdepartmental collaboration climate, management support and service quality of care were shown to have a positive effect on OA, with the three factors explaining 45% (R2 = 0.45) of OA. The relationship between management support and OA was found to be mediated through the interdepartmental collaboration climate, and that between the interdepartmental collaboration climate and OA was found to be mediated through the service quality of care. Originality/value – This study contributes to an understanding of OA from a current employee perspective. Specifically, it reveals how the three factors of interdepartmental collaboration climate, management support and service quality of care influence and shape the perception of current employees (nurses) toward the attractiveness of their organization.acceptedVersio

KAKO SE PODUZETNIČKA ORIJENTACIJA MOŽE PROMOVIRATI U USLUŽNIM KOMPANIJAMA I KOJI SU POTENCIJALNI UČINCI? – EMPIRIJSKO ISTRAŽIVANJE ZAPOSLENIKA KOJI SU U DIREKTNOM KONTAKTU S KLIJENTIMA

The aim of this paper is to explore how entrepreneurial orientation can be promoted in service firms. Previous research seems to have, to a certain extent, taken a broad approach when studying entrepreneurial orientation in service firms. In contrast, this study includes different levels of promoting factors and links these to service firms’ entrepreneurial orientation. It also explores how service firms’ entrepreneurial orientation is linked to both internal and external effects. A conceptual framework is developed and tested in an empirical study, where a total of 299 frontline service employees participated. The findings reveal that open communication, job autonomy and working as a team are the most influential factors in promoting service firms’ entrepreneurial orientation. Furthermore, the findings support that service firms’ entrepreneurial orientation is closely related to employee commitment as well as driving its competitive power when compared with relevant competitors. The paper discusses contributions and implications of these findings both theoretically and practically.Cilj ovog rada je istražiti na koji način se može promovirati poduzetnička orijentacija u uslužnim kompanijama. Čini se da su dosadašnja istraživanja u određenoj mjeri primijenila široki pristup prilikom proučavanja poduzetničke orijentacije u uslužnim kompanijama. Suprotno tome, ova studija uključuje različite razine promocijskih faktora i povezuje ih s poduzetničkom orijentacijom. Također istražuje kako je poduzetnička orijentacija kompanija povezana s unutarnjim i vanjskim učincima. Konceptualni okvir razvijen je i testiran u empirijskoj studiji, u kojoj je sudjelovalo 299 zaposlenika koji su u direktnom kontaktu s klijentima. Rezultati pokazuju da su otvorena komunikacija, samostalnost u izvršavanju posla i rad u timu najutjecajniji čimbenici u promicanju poduzetničke orijentacije. Nadalje, rezultati pokazuju da je poduzetnička orijentacija uslužnih kompanija usko vezana s predanošću zaposlenika kao i pokretanje konkurentskih snaga u usporedbi s relevantnim konkurentima. U radu se raspravlja o doprinosu i implikacijama tih nalaza, kako u teorijskim tako i u praktičnim slučajevima

The value of cultivating norms for market orientation in professional service firms

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Supportive study climate and academic performance among university students: the role of psychological capital, positive emotions and study engagement

Purpose – The overall aim of this study is to explore factors associated with academic performance among university students. Specifically, it explores whether a supportive study climate is directly related to academic performance and whether students’ psychological capital (PsyCap), positive emotions and study engagement play a role in the relationship between supportive study climate and academic performance. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 588 bachelor students from a range of academic programs participated in a survey. The partial least squares (PLS)-based structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the conceptual models and the hypothesized relationships, using the software SmartPLS. Findings – No support was found for a direct relationship between supportive study climate and academic performance. However, the results show that PsyCap, positive emotions and study engagement have a mediating role between supportive study climate and academic performance. In addition, the findings reveal a multifaceted pattern among PsyCap, positive emotions and study engagement that promotes academic performance. Originality/value – This is the first study that simultaneously explores the role of PsyCap, emotions and study engagement between supportive study climate and academic performance among university students. Consequently, it broadens and deepens previous research and offers both theoretical and practical implications. Keywords Psychological Capital, Positive emotions, Study engagement, Academic performance, Supportive study climate, University studentspublishedVersio

Fostering innovative behavior in health organizations: a PLS-SEM analysis of Norwegian hospital employees

Background:Health organization research is experiencing a strong refocus on employees’individual innovativebehavior (IIB), revealing that many of the influential factors at work remain uncertain. Hence, this study empiricallyexamines fostering of hospital employees’IIB by focusing on direct and indirect relationships of organizationalculture (here labeledinternal market-oriented culture, IMOC), psychological capital (PsyCap), and organizationalcommitment (OC).Methods:The study focused on a sample of 1008 hospital employees, using a partial least squares–structuralequation modeling method to analyze and test the relationships hypothesized in this study. A multigroupcomparison was performed to test the heterogeneity of personal characteristics. The indirect relationships ofPsyCap were tested using mediator analyses.Results:Our results reveal that IMOC has a positive and significant correlation to employees’PsyCap and IIB.PsyCap is directly related to IIB and indirectly related to IMOC and IIB. Furthermore, the study found that IIB isrelated to OC.Conclusions:This study extends the current debate on how IIB is fostered at work by examining PsyCap and IMOCas antecedents of IIB. The study has added to the IIB research area by examining the role of IIB on OC. The study isamong the first attempts in its category to contribute to health organizations and managers by empiricallyexamining the role of IMOC on employees’PsyCap and IIB—and, in turn, their OC.publishedVersio

Precursors and outcomes of work engagement among nursing professionals—a cross-sectional study

Background: Health services organizations must understand how best to lower nursing professionals' turnover intentions, and increase their job satisfaction and the quality of care provided to patients. This study aims to examine whether work engagement (WE) is a significant predictor of the achievement of these preferred organizational goals. The study also aims to examine whether organizational culture and organizational climate can manage the WE of nursing professionals and indirectly contribute to the accomplishment of the preferred organizational goals. Methods: In detail, a cross-sectional questionnaire survey study was conducted through a convenience sampling of a total of N = 164 nurses, from four Norwegian public hospitals. Structural equation modeling was employed in testing the hypothesis in the conceptual model, using Stata software. Furthermore, mediation analyses were achieved through use of the "medsem" package in the Stata software, in testing whether the proposed direct and indirect effects were statistically significant, and the type of mediation found. Results: The three key findings from this study are: i) WE of nursing professionals was found to be positively related to service quality of care (β = 0.551) and job satisfaction (β = 0.883). Job satisfaction fully mediates the relationship between WE and turnover intention and in itself explains almost 60% (R 2 = 0.59) of turnover intention; ii) nursing professionals' perception of organizational culture (β = 0.278) and collaboration climate (β = 0.331) were both directly related to their WE; and iii) WE fully mediates the relationship between organizational culture/climate and service quality of care and job satisfaction. Moreover, WE partially mediates the relationship between collaborative climate and job satisfaction. Conclusions: The WE of nursing professionals is highly correlated to their job satisfaction. WE and turnover intentions are (fully) mediated by job satisfaction. Employers should therefore focus on improving the job satisfaction of nursing professionals. The WE of nursing professionals is a common key factor for such improvement. Consequently, leaders and managers should continuously manage nursing professionals' WE, focusing on such areas as organizational culture and climate, because WE is an effective means of enabling multiple desirable outcomes for hospital organizations.publishedVersio

Promoting organizational vision integration among hospital employees

Background: The concept of organizational vision has been little explored in the health-care services research literature. To address this knowledge gap in the literature, the present study examines the factors that may promote organizational vision integration (OVI), which refers to the employees' use of organizational vision as a guiding framework in their work. The roles of organizational commitment (OC), leadership autonomy support (LAS), and organizational culture in relation to hospital employees' OVI are examined. Methods: Hospital employees were surveyed. Partial least-squares structural equation modeling was performed using SmartPLS 3 software to test the proposed hypotheses statistically. A bootstrapping test was used to identify the mediating effects. Results: The main findings show that: (i) OC is the most powerful factor in promoting employees' OVI (β = 0.26), while organizational culture (represented by the concept of internal market-oriented culture) and LAS showed significantly less and almost equal impact (β = 0.16 and β = 0.15, respectively). In total, OC, organizational culture and LAS explain 25% of the variance in the concept of OVI. (ii) LAS and organizational culture both significantly contribute to employees' OC (β = 0.35 and β = 0.29, respectively) and in total explain nearly 40% (R 2 = 0.38) of the variance in the concept of OC. (iii) The relationships between organizational culture, LAS, and OVI are mediated through OC, and (iv) LAS mediates the relationship between organizational culture and OVI, and that between organizational culture and OC. Conclusions: To promote hospital employees' OVI effectively, hospital managers should focus particularly on their employees' OC. Specifically, they should strengthen their employees' OC through building a strong employee-focused organizational culture and ensuring that leaders practice LAS. This contributes to promoting hospital employees' OVI.publishedVersio

Does organizational vision really matter? An empirical examination of factors related to organizational vision integration among hospital employees

Background: There seems to be a consensus that a vision for an organization is a valuable thing for organizations to have. However, research on organizational vision has predominantly been studied from a leadership perspective. In contrast to previous research, organizational vision in this paper takes an employee perspective. Specifically, the purpose is to examine factors associated with the integration of organizational vision among employees in hospital organizations. Consequently, it focuses on a relatively neglected domain within health services research. Methods: A conceptual model, centred on the concept of organizational vision integration, was developed and tested on a sample (N = 1008) consisting of hospital employees. Partial least-squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the hypotheses, using SmartPLS 3 software. Furthermore, a bootstrapping test was used to inspect potential mediating effects. Specifically, the test assessed whether the proposed direct and indirect effects were statistically significant, and at the same time revealed the nature of the mediation effect. Results: The results from the empirical study reveal three key findings: i) organizational vision integration among employees is directly and positively related to creative performance in their respective work role (β = 0.16). Organizational vision integration and employees' psychological capital explains almost 40% (R 2 = 0.36) in employees' creative performance, ii) psychological capital and employees' perception of organizational attractiveness are directly and positively related to employees' organizational vision integration (β = 0.19 and β = 0.40, respectively) and explains about 30% (R 2 = 0.29) of employees' organizational vision integration, iii) employees' organizational vision integration mediates the relationship between employees' psychological capital, perception of organizational attractiveness and employees' creative performance.publishedVersio

The impact of individual creativity, psychological capital, and leadership autonomy support on hospital employees’ innovative behaviour

Purpose The aim of this study is to explore how potentially traumatic events (PTEs) from war and flight influence health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in young refugees after recent resettlement. In a model based on earlier theory, we tested if post-migration stressors and mental distress mediated the effect of PTEs on HRQoL, individually and in serial. We also explored how different types of post-migration stressors influenced different dimensions of HRQoL. Methods This study used a cross-sectional design where 160 Syrian youth recently resettled in Norway completed questionnaires at school between May and December 2018. Correlations between types of post-migration stressors and dimensions of HRQoL were explored and a serial multiple mediator model was tested. Models were adjusted for age and gender, using two types of mental distress; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and general mental distress. Results Higher levels of PTEs reduced experienced HRQoL, but this direct effect was mediated by post-migration stressors alone and in serial with mental distress. Despite high levels of mental distress, this did not affect HRQoL independently, only in serial mediation with increased post-migration stressors. Economic concerns and discrimination were types of post-migration stressors affecting several dimensions of HRQoL. Conclusion Quality of life in refugee is affected by past events from war, stressors in current resettlement and elevated mental distress through complex interrelations. The study reiterates the importance of considering structural and everyday post-migration stressors in policy and intervention to improve the health and wellbeing of refugee youth.publishedVersio

The impact of organizational culture and leadership climate on organizational attractiveness and innovative behavior: a study of Norwegian hospital employees

In the domain of health services, little research has focused on how organizational culture, specifically internal market-oriented cultures (IMOCs), are associated with organizational climate resources, support for autonomy (SA), and whether and how IMOCs and SA are either individually or in combination related to employee perceptions of the attractiveness of the organization and their level of innovative behavior. These knowledge gaps in previous research motivated this study. A conceptual model was tested on a sample (N = 1008) of hospital employees. Partial least-squares structural equation modeling (PLS–SEM) was employed to test the conceptual models, using the SmartPLS 3 software. To test the mediator effect, a bootstrapping test was used to determine whether the direct and indirect effects were statistically significant, and when combining two tests, to determine the type of mediator effect. The results can be summarized as four key findings: i) organizational culture (referring to an IMOC) was positively and directly related to SA (β = 0.87) and organizational attractiveness (β = 0.45); ii) SA was positively and directly related to both organizational attractiveness (β = 0.22) and employee individual innovative behavior (β = 0.37); iii) The relationships between an IMOC, SA, and employee innovative behavior were all mediated through organizational attractiveness; and iv) SA mediated the relationship between the IMOC and organizational attractiveness as well as that between the IMOC and employee innovative behavior. Organizational culture, IMOC, organizational climate resources, and SA were highly correlated and necessary drivers of employee perceptions of organizational attractiveness and their innovative behavior. Managers of hospitals should consider IMOC and SA as two organizational resources that are potentially manageable and controllable. Consequently, managers should actively invest in these resources. Such investments will lead to resource capitalization that will improve both employee perceptions of organizational attractiveness as well as their innovative behavior. Keywords: Organizational culture, Organizational climate, Internal market-oriented culture, Support for autonomy, Organizational attractiveness, Innovative behavior, Hospital employeesThe impact of organizational culture and leadership climate on organizational attractiveness and innovative behavior: a study of Norwegian hospital employeespublishedVersio