Article critique
Article critique
Researchers used results of previous studies, theories, models to create own model. According to this model leader empowering behavior influence burnout or work engagement through mediation of structural empowerment and six areas of work life. There are types of leaders empowering behaviors such as enhancing meaning of nursing staff, expressing confidence, ensuring autonomy, involving in decision-making. Types of structural empowerment considered in the study are information, resources, support, informal power, formal power, opportunity.
The study is aimed to solve important problems of nursing practice. Authors of the study created and tested theoretical model which can be used for improving psychological work conditions of nurses. The study also considers professional burnout – the dangerous psychological problem which can lead to depression, causes cynicism, work dissatisfaction etc.
The purpose of the research
The purpose of the current research was to test the complex model based on the theories and concepts of Maslach, Kanter, Leiter, Conugo and other. The model includes theories of work engagement and burnout, empowerment conditions at the workplace, the role of leaders in empowering a staff nurses, etc.
Review of the Literature
In the literature review authors of the articles consider concepts such as leader`s empowering behavior, burnout/engagement, formal and informal power; authors of the study explain and describe six types of work life (work control, workload, values, fairness, etc.), five types of leader`s empowering behavior (enhancing meaningfulness of work, etc.).
The references used in the literature review were current.
Theoretical Framework
Researchers used the theory of Kanter as the theoretical framework for their study and the concept “power”. Kanter indicates power as the opportunity to use and mobilize resources which are necessary for successful resolving of problems at a workplace. Also, authors of the article indicate that power of the nursing staff depends on leader-nurse (manager) and that powerlessness causes such problems of nursing professional practice as work dissatisfaction, burnout, etc.
Therefore, nursing staff need to have access to different resources, support, and information at a workplace, to be empowered. At the same time, empowerment of nursing staff is impossible without leader nurse.
Research draws not only on nursing theory but also on management theory because it considers the role of leader nurses in the creating empowering conditions at a workplace.
Hypothesis was that perceived leaders empowering behavior influences the extent of empowering of nursing staff, increase fit of nurses in different areas of work and predict burnout/work engagement.
Researchers designed and conducted cross-sectional correlation study to test the model. Independent variable was perceived by nursing staff leaders` empowering behavior. Dependent variables were fit of nursing staff to six areas of work life, level of burnout/work engagement, structural empowerment.
The sample was enough big – 322 female nurses from different regions of Ontario. Randomization was used as sampling method. Nurses were chosen for participation in the study from registry list of The College of Nurses of Ontario. The average age of participants of the study was 40 years; most of participants had work experience – more than 18 years, etc. Sample was representative of nursing population.
Data Analysis
Results of the study were presented in table. It was indicated that LEB (leader empowering behavior) influence indirectly emotional exhaustion, the central feature of work burnout, through direct effect on empowerment. At the same time empowerment has direct influence on job-person fit.
The research demonstrated that most of participants of the study evaluated behaviors of leaders of their organization only as somewhat empowering. Most of nurses-participants of the study indicated that leaders of their organizations most-used such empowering behaviors as expressing confidence and providing autonomy while such empowering behavior as participative making of decisions were indicated as least-used strategy.
It was found in the study that fifty percent of nurses had a severe level of professional burnout.
Summary/Conclusions, Implications, and Recommendations
The strength of the research is that it proposes the complex model based on knowledge, theories, ideas, and categories described by different authors. The model proposed in the article unites different theories.
Another advantage of the study is big and representative sample.
I believe that findings of the research and model proposed by authors of the article can be applied to any organization, workers and leaders of other professional fields. However, as it is known, work burnout, emotional exhaustion is more widespread among professionals whose work engage constant communication with other people (nurses, educators, psychologists, managers, etc.). That is why results of the research can be applied, first of all, to employees of organizations of listed professional areas.
Evaluate the findings and conclusions as to their significance for nursing
On the one hand, authors of the study indicate important problem of nursing profession. They demonstrate by their study the role of leader in health care organizations, they prove that a leader can cause professional burn out or increase work engagement of nursing staff by changing organizational structure, etc. Also, the findings of result is important for nursing practice because authors indicate the way of improving work conditions of nurses – leaders have to provide empowering working conditions .
Reference
Greco, P., Laschinger, H. K. S., & Wong, C. (2006). Leader empowering behaviours, staff nurse empowerment and work engagement/burnout. Nursing Leadership, 19(4), 41-56.
