Nurse managers' perceptions of power and opportunity

This study used Rosabeth Kanter's (1977) structural theory of organizational behaviour to examine differences in the perceptions of access to job related power and opportunity of 91 nurse managers in first line and middle management positions. A convenience sample of nurse managers in three Canadian acute care urban hospitals was used to investigate the study questions. Consistent with Kanter's (1977) theory, middle managers perceived themselves as having significantly greater access to the empowerment structures than the first line managers (M = 14.66 and 12.82, respectively). Also, nurse managers in positions higher in the hierarchical structure reported having greater personal power in their organizational settings than those in lower positions.