Nurses' experience of individual, group-based, and professional autonomy

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Organizational Psychology
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Autonomy and meaningful work (MW) are linked to nurse satisfaction, yet their specific interrelations remain unclear.
• Understanding how individual, professional, and group autonomy influence dimensions of MW like 'Expressing Full Potential' and 'Service to Others' is crucial.
• This knowledge can inform interventions to enhance nurse work experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To elucidate the complex relationship between various forms of autonomy and multiple dimensions of meaningful work (MW) in nursing.
• To examine the autonomy-MW framework using empirical data from healthcare settings.

Main Methods:

• Multilevel analyses were conducted on data from 510 nurses across four organizational divisions in three healthcare organizations.
• The Comprehensive Meaningful Works Scale was employed to assess multiple dimensions of MW.

Main Results:

• Individual and professional autonomy demonstrated significant positive associations with six of the seven measured MW dimensions.
• Perceived group autonomy showed weaker, yet significant, positive relationships with two MW dimensions.

Conclusions:

• The study indicates that different autonomy types relate distinctly to MW dimensions, refuting a simple input-output model.
• Partial support for the autonomy-MW framework was found, suggesting that cultivating MW requires a nuanced approach, not just autonomous teams.
• Healthcare organizations should strategically combine autonomy practices to effectively foster meaningful work among nurses.