Value congruence and job satisfaction among nurses: a human relations perspective

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Organizational Psychology
• Human Resources Management

Background:

• Job satisfaction is crucial for healthcare professionals, impacting patient care and staff retention.
• Understanding the link between personal values and organizational values (value congruence) is key to improving employee well-being.
• Previous research highlights the importance of person-organization fit, but specific value areas in nursing require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between job satisfaction and value congruence in four organizational value areas among surgical ward nurses.
• To investigate the influence of human relations values and social climate congruence on nurses' attitudes toward their ward.
• To determine the direct and indirect effects of value congruence on job satisfaction.

Main Methods:

• A study was conducted among nurses working in surgery wards.
• Data were collected on perceived and desired values in four organizational areas, including human relations and social climate.
• Attitudes toward the ward and job satisfaction were measured. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the relationships.

Main Results:

• Congruence in human relations values and social climate independently predicted nurses' attitudes toward their ward.
• Social climate congruence was inversely related to time pressure, operationalized as chatting with colleagues.
• Ward attitudes predicted job satisfaction. Human relations value congruence also directly predicted job satisfaction, beyond its effect via ward attitudes.

Conclusions:

• Human relations value congruence is a significant factor in predicting job satisfaction among nurses.
• Aligning nurses' perceptions of human relations values with their desires is important for job satisfaction.
• Value congruence, particularly in human relations, is a critical component of person-organization fit in the nursing profession.