Exploring the relationships among spirit at work, structural and psychological empowerment, resonant leadership, job satisfaction and organizational commitment in the health care workplace

• Author / Creator

  Wagner, Joan

• Health care workers are experiencing increasingly stressful work environments related to attempts to control escalating health care costs. Researchers (Kinjerski & Skrypnek, 2004) have developed a tool to identify the unique experience of individuals who are passionate about and energized by their work, also described as spirit at work (SAW). Identification and acknowledgement of these unique experiences by health care professionals and leaders will lead to collaboration in the development and maintenance of healthy workplaces. The objectives in this study were to (a) identify the relationship between the structural empowerment and psychological empowerment of practicing health professionals in both staff and management positions; (b) develop and test a theoretical model of the relationships among resonant leadership, the components of structural empowerment, psychological empowerment, and SAW, and the demographic variables of experience, education, rank, job satisfaction and organizational commitment for nurses (RNs), occupational therapists (OTs) and physical therapists (PTs); (c) identify what the practitioners in each health profession perceived as contributing to their personal SAW in the workplace; and (d) contribute to greater clarity in current and future discussions of SAW. A systematic review of the literature validated the relationship between structural empowerment and psychological empowerment. SAW and specified workplace concepts were identified and further elucidated through a province-wide survey followed by focus group discussions. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis of the survey data demonstrated that the model originally postulated and tested fit the proposed theoretical relationships, after addition of modifications specific to each professional group. This research study makes significant contributions to existing health care workplace research that promises to create a healthier environment for staff and patients alike. Contributions include (a) the introduction of the construct of SAW and an indication of its role in the workplace, (b) an indication of the important role resonant leadership plays within the health care workplace and its multiple effects on other constructs within workplace theory, (c) further development of workplace theory through the use of real measures of concepts to support and strengthen previous research.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Satisfaction
  • Workplace
  • Commitment
  • Spirit
  • Leadership
  • Empowerment

• Graduation date

  Fall 2010

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Doctor of Philosophy

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3735Z

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.