Organisational innovation climate and innovation behaviour among nurses in China: A mediation model of psychological empowerment

The association of leader-member exchange and team-member exchange with nurses' innovative behaviours: A cross-sectional study

AIM

To measure the association of leader-member exchange and team-member exchange with nurses' innovative behaviours through social exchange theory.

BACKGROUND

The field of nursing is actively advocating innovation. Other fields have proven that leader-member exchange and team-member exchange can promote innovative behaviour, but such an association is not clear in nursing.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

METHODS

A total of 560 nurses were selected from five tertiary hospitals in Henan Province (China) by multistage sampling. Data were collected from a self-report questionnaire. Thirty nurses in the pre-survey were used to verify the validity of the questionnaire. SPSS PROCESS macro was used to verify the association of leader-member exchange and team-member exchange with nurses' innovative behaviours.

RESULTS

Leader-member exchange and team-member exchange were significantly associated with nurses' innovative behaviours, and team-member exchange had a mediating effect on the relationship between leader-member exchange and innovative behaviour.

CONCLUSIONS

Leader-member exchange and team-member exchange positively affect nurses' innovative behaviours. Leader-member exchange can promote nurses' innovative behaviours through the mediating role of team-member exchange.

IMPACT

This study indicated that leader-member exchange and team-member exchange should be given more attention in promoting nurses' innovative behaviours. This finding has implications for the promotion of innovative behaviours in nurses. Leaders need to focus on the innovative needs of nurses and offer support. Meanwhile, leadership training programs are necessary for managers to create positive team relationships.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

No patient or public involvement.

Innovative behavior and organizational innovation climate among the Chinese clinical first-line nurses during the Omicron pandemic: The mediating roles of self-transcendence

BACKGROUND

During the Omicron pandemic, clinical first-line nurses played a crucial role in healthcare. Their innovative behavior enhanced the quality of nursing and served as a vital factor in driving the sustainable development of the nursing discipline and healthcare industry. Many previous studies have confirmed the significance of nurses' innovative behavior worldwide. However, the correlations among innovative behaviors, organizational innovation climate, self-transcendence, and their mediating roles in Chinese clinical first-line nurses need further research.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted, and the quality reporting conformed to the STROBE Checklist. From March 2022 to February 2023, a convenience sample of 1,058 Chinese clinical first-line nurses was recruited from seven tertiary grade-A hospitals of Tianjin city in Northern China. The Demographic Characteristics Questionnaire, Nurse Innovative Behavior Scale (NIBS), Nurse Organizational Innovation Climate Scale, and the Self-Transcendence Scale were used. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and process plug-in mediation effect analyses.

RESULTS

The total scores of innovative behavior, organizational innovation climate, and self-transcendence were 33.19 ± 6.71, 68.88 ± 12.76, and 41.25 ± 7.83, respectively. Innovative behavior was positively correlated with the organizational innovation climate (r = 0.583, p < 0.01) and self-transcendence (r = 0.635, p < 0.01). Self-transcendence partially mediated mediating role between innovative behavior and organizational innovation climate, accounting for 41.7%.

CONCLUSION

The innovative behavior, organizational innovation climate, and self-transcendence among the first-line nurses during the Omicron pandemic were relatively moderate, which needs improving. Organizational innovation climate can directly affect the innovative behavior among Chinese clinical first-line nurses and indirectly through the mediating role of self-transcendence. It is recommended that nursing managers adjust their management strategies and techniques based on the unique characteristics of nurses during the pandemic. This includes fostering a positive and inclusive environment for organizational innovation, nurturing nurses' motivation and awareness for innovation, enhancing their ability to gather information effectively, overcoming negative emotions resulting from the pandemic, and promoting personal growth. These efforts will ultimately enhance nursing quality and satisfaction during the Omicron pandemic.

Innovative behaviour profile and its associated factors among nurses in China: a cross-sectional study based on latent profile analysis

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to investigate the current status of innovative behaviours among nurses in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) hospitals using latent profile analysis, identify potential subgroups and their population characteristics and explore factors associated with different categories.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Six TCM hospitals in Anhui, China.

PARTICIPANTS

From 1 April 2023 to 31 July 2023, a total of 642 registered nurses with more than 1 year of work experience were recruited from the clinical departments of six TCM hospitals using a stratified cluster sampling method. 529 valid questionnaires were recovered, presenting a validity rate of 82.40%.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

Data were collected through online surveys containing a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Nurse Innovative Behaviour Scale, the Nurse Adversity Quotient Self-Evaluation Scale and the Conditions for Work Effectiveness Questionnaire-II. Latent profile analysis was performed to identify categorisation features of nurses' innovative behaviour in TCM hospitals. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to investigate associated factors with profile membership.

RESULTS

TCM hospital nurses' innovative behaviours were mainly classified into three types of latent profiles: low innovative behaviour (35.3%), moderate innovative behaviour (48.4%) and high innovative behaviour (16.3%). The results of multiple logistic regression analyses indicated that gender, monthly income, department, hospital level, position, nurse competency level, any training attended related to TCM knowledge and skills, adversity quotient level and structural empowerment level were the influencing factors for the potential profiles.

CONCLUSIONS

The innovative behaviour of nurses in TCM hospitals can be classified into three categories. Studying the heterogeneity of the innovative behaviour of nurses in TCM hospitals and its associated factors provides evidence for nursing administrators and educators to develop individualised interventions based on each latent characteristic to improve the innovative behaviour of nurses in TCM hospitals. It is of great significance to the heritage and innovative development of TCM nursing.

Antecedents of innovative work behavior among leading physicians: Empirical evidence from German hospitals

Healthcare professionals' innovative work behavior (IWB) plays a key role in the development and implementation of innovative solutions in hospitals. However, relevant antecedents of IWB have not been fully captured to date. This study empirically examines the relationships between proactive personality, collaborative competence, innovation climate, and IWB. Hypotheses were tested using a sample of 442 chief physicians from 380 German hospitals. The results indicate a positive and significant influence of proactive personality, collaborative competence, and innovation climate on IWB, with collaborative competence having a stronger influence on IWB than innovation climate. Managers should note that important resources for IWB are accessible through a variety of actors and relationships. To leverage these resources and thus promote IWB, more emphasis should be placed on an employee's network.

The relationship between perceived management commitment to safety, psychological empowerment, and safety performance among emergency nurses in Jordan

PURPOSE

Nurses are susceptible to unfavorable effects of workplace accidents and injuries, therefore, perceived management commitment to safety and psychological empowerment can help nurses to participate in safety measures and adhere to safety performance. Thus, this study aimed to examine the relationship between perceived management commitment to safety, psychological empowerment, and safety performance among emergency nurses in Jordan.

METHODS

A cross-sectional, descriptive correlational design was used and 306 registered nurses working in the emergency department in Jordanian governmental hospitals were recruited. A self-structured questionnaire consisting of the perceived management commitment to safety scale, psychological empowerment scale, and safety performance scale was used to collect data during the period from July 2022 to August 2022.

RESULTS

The findings demonstrated that the levels of study variables revealed as follows: the perceived management commitment to safety mean was 3.1 (SD = 0.66) out of 5, which indicated an acceptable level, the mean score of psychological empowerment was 5.37 (SD = 0.94) out of 7, which reflected that the nurses perceived the work environment to be psychologically empowered, and the mean score for safety performance was 4.02 (SD = 0.56) out of 5, which indicated an acceptable level of safety performance among the participants, and the mean for subscales (safety compliance and participation) was 4.07 (SD = 0.57) and 3.93 (SD = 0.69) out of 5, respectively. Also, there was a positive correlation between safety performance and perceived management commitment to safety (r = 0.334, p < 0.001), and psychological empowerment (r = 0.592, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

It is necessary to implement continuous interventions centered on empowering emergency nurses psychologically, which has a positive effect on safety performance. Given management's commitment to safety as a priority topic of discussion at group meetings creating a work environment that encourages nurses' safety performance should be encouraged.

Research article Individual innovation from the perspective of nursing students: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

One of the necessities of today's world that prepares nursing students for their future professional roles is the concept of individual innovation. However, there is no clear definition of individual innovation in nursing. This study was designed and implemented with the aim of investigating the concept of individual innovation from the perspective of nursing students using qualitative content analysis.

METHODS

This qualitative study was conducted from September 2020 to May 2021 on 11 nursing students of one of the nursing schools in southern Iran. The participants were selected by purposive sampling method. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews. Data analysis was done using conventional content analysis and MAXQDA 2018.

RESULTS

Following data analysis, 662 initial codes were extracted forming 9 categories and three main themes. The themes included personal and professional dynamism, professional inventiveness, and the integration of innovation drivers.

CONCLUSIONS

The concept of individual innovation in the nursing student included personal and professional dynamics and professional inventiveness. Individual innovation occurred through combination of innovation drivers. Managers and policy makers of nursing education can use the results of this to get acquainted with this concept and develop policies and guidelines to develop nursing students' individual innovation. Through getting familiar with the concept of individual innovation, nursing students can try to flourish this characteristic in themselves.

Does transformational leadership and psychological empowerment improve nurses' innovative behaviour during COVID-19 outbreak? A cross-sectional study

AIMS

To investigate the relationships between transformational leadership, psychological empowerment and innovative behaviour among nurses in China.

BACKGROUND

The innovative behaviour of nurses is important to adapt to the changing medical environment. However, there is currently a limited understanding of the relationship between nurses' innovative behaviour and transformational leadership and psychological empowerment during the pandemic.

METHODS

Convenience sampling was used to conduct an investigation involving 1317 nurses from 10 hospitals in China from January 2022 to April 2022. Data analysis was performed using correlation analysis, univariate analysis and multiple regression analysis. The STROBE checklist was followed when writing this manuscript.

RESULTS

High transformational leadership and high psychological empowerment were associated with high innovative behaviour. The results of the multiple linear regression analysis showed that physical condition, whether or not you have attended academic conferences or whether or not you have participated in fund research projects, transformational leadership and psychological empowerment were the main factors on nurses' innovative behaviour, together explaining 64.5% of the total variance.

CONCLUSION

Promotion of transformational leadership and psychological empowerment is vital for nurses to promote innovation, thereby meeting the urgent demand for innovative nurses and the rapid development of nursing disciplines.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

This study highlights the importance of transformational leadership in developing nurses' innovative behaviours. Understanding the role of psychological empowerment can help nurse managers formulate relevant intervention strategies and cultivate nurses' innovative behaviour.

Effect of Work Values on Miners’ Safety Behavior: The Mediating Role of Psychological Empowerment and the Moderating of Role of Safety Climate

Although numerous studies have confirmed the important influence of values on employees’ behavior, less is known about the relationship between work values and miners’ safe behavior. Based on self-verification theory and trait activation theory, this study constructed a structural equation model to explore the effect of work values on miners’ safety behavior, using psychological empowerment as a mediating variable and safety climate as a moderating variable. Data were collected from 207 miners in three coal mines in China. The model was examined using a hierarchical regression analysis and the bootstrapping method. The results showed that three types of work values significantly and positively predicted miners’ safety behavior, and psychological empowerment mediated the relationship between work values and miners’ safety behavior. However, the moderating role of safety climate was not supported. The results enrich the boundary conditions under which work values influence miners’ safety behavior and provide coal managers with intervention measures such as cultivating miners’ work values and psychological empowerment, which can improve miners’ safety behavior.

Analysis of the Mediating Role of Psychological Empowerment between Perceived Leader Trust and Employee Work Performance

High levels of trust between employees and leaders moderate the relationship between organizational management practices. A collaborative environment encourages employees to have more Psychological Empowerment, which in turn leads to better performance. Based on Intrinsic Work Motivation and Self-Evaluation, this paper uses Perceived Leader Trust as an independent variable, Employee Work Performance as a dependent variable, and introduces Psychological Empowerment to explore the internal mechanism of perceived trust. This paper proposes a total of 28 hypotheses, and 25 hypotheses have been verified. The specific research conclusions are as follows: (1) Perceived Leader Trust has a positive impact on Employee Work Performance. (2) Perceived Leader Trust positively affects employees' Psychological Empowerment. Perceived Leader Dependence has a significant impact on all dimensions of Psychological Empowerment, but the relationship between Perceived Information Disclosure and Work Meaning is not significant. (3) Psychological Empowerment is positively correlated with Employee Work Performance, in which the four dimensions of Psychological Empowerment are significantly related to Employee Task Performance, while Work Meaning and Autonomy are not significantly related to Employee Relationship Performance. (4) Psychological Empowerment, as the overall perception of employees, plays a partial mediating role between Perceived Leader Trust and Employee Work Performance. This paper verifies the role of Psychological Empowerment between Perceived Leader Trust and Employee Work Performance, and explores the internal mechanism of Perceived Leader Trust from the perspective of employees' Intrinsic Work Motivation, which promotes the development of organizational management practices.

How Supervisor-Subordinate Guanxi Influence Employee Innovative Behavior: A Moderated Mediation Model

Purpose

In the practice of inspiring employees’ innovative behavior (IB), managers often pay attention to the role of policies, capitals, incentive measures, equipment and other factors, while ignoring the role of the relationship between leaders and employees. Based on social exchange theory and conservation of resources theory, this paper is to examine the mediating role of job satisfaction (JS) and organizational commitment (OC) in the relationship between supervisor–subordinate guanxi (SSG) and employee IB, and the moderating role of psychological safety (PS) in the series mediation model between SSG and employee IB.

Patients and Methods

Cross-sectional data came from 207 employees of Chinese scientific and technological enterprises. The participants completed the SSG scale, JS scale, OC scale, IB scale, and PS scale. SPSS PROCESS macro was used to test the research hypothesis.

Results

SSG was positively associated with employee IB. SSG can not only influence IB through JS or OC (SSG→JS→IB; SSG→OC→IB) but also influence IB through JS and OC (SSG→JS→OC→IB). PS moderated the joint mediating effects between SSG and IB (SSG→JS→OC→IB).

Conclusion

To stimulate employees’ IB within an enterprise can pay attention to the relationship between leaders and employees, improve employee JS, and strengthen employee OC. The lower the PS, the stronger the joint mediation effects between SSG and employee IB. Therefore, leaders should also pay attention to employees with high PS to avoid the counterproductive effect of cultivating SSG.

Kirkpatrick's evaluation of the effect of a nursing innovation team training for clinical nurses

AIM

This study aims to design a 100-h training programme for nursing innovation teams and to evaluate the effect of this training programme using Kirkpatrick's model.

BACKGROUND

The innovative capability of nurses is a powerful driver for the development of the nursing discipline, and it is currently at a low to medium level in China. Innovation competency development has become a research trend in nurses' in-service education, but only changes in nursing innovation behaviours before and after training have been evaluated. The cascading, continuous assessment tools are rarely used.

METHODS

This is a quasi-experimental research design: pretest and posttest design. Totally, 61 clinical nurses from Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine were enrolled for innovation training. This innovation team training programme consisted of a 36-h theoretical training phase and a 64-h collaborative training phase. The four levels of Kirkpatrick's model, that is, reaction, learning, behaviour, and result, were applied for the evaluation together with questionnaires.

RESULTS

At reaction level, the nurses' attendance was over 85% in two phases. The differences between nurse organizational innovation climate scores of tested nurses before and after training were statistically significant (t = -22.559, P < .001). At learning level, there were statistically significant differences between nurses' innovation self-efficacy scale scores of tested nurses before and after training (t = -16.832, P < .001). At behaviour level, the nursing innovation behaviour scale scores of tested nurses were significantly higher after training (t = -18.950, P < .001) than before the training. At result level, the clinical nurse innovation ability of tested nurses after the training were higher than before the training (t = -26.275, P < .001). The numbers of patent applications, granted patents, application for scientific research projects, sponsored scientific research projects, and papers published by team members after the training were larger than those before training (Z = -2.032, P = .042).

CONCLUSION

Kirkpatrick's model can evaluate the effectiveness of nursing innovation training for clinical nurses. The nursing innovation training is beneficial to improve nurses' innovation capacity, organizational innovation climate and innovation self-efficacy, and nursing innovation behaviour and promote the output of research and innovation projects.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Managers can flexibly develop training modules with regional characteristics based on this programme to effectively improve the innovation ability of clinical nurses, thus meeting the urgent demand for innovative nursing talents and the rapid development of nursing disciplines.